Contamination and planning applications

A brownfield site (which means previously used land) could be affected by contamination. 

When reviewing applications relating to brownfield sites, planning officers will ask environmental protection officers for their comments. 

The planning process must make sure that the land is made suitable for the new use.  

The developer must investigate and carry out a risk assessment if land is known to be contaminated, or available evidence shows that contamination exists. 

Planning permission will not be granted until detailed proposals for remediation have been agreed, following the site investigation and risk assessment. This is to make sure that the Council only grants permission for sites that can be made suitable for the proposed use. 

In other cases, there may be a suspicion that a site is contaminated, or evidence may suggest that only slight contamination is likely. 

In this situation, our planning policies require that the application is submitted with a Phase I Investigation and Preliminary Risk Assessment.  

This assessment provides a detailed overview of the previous uses of a site. A planning condition can also be placed on the decision to make sure that the site is investigated and made suitable for use. 

For sites with a sensitive end use (for example residential or education), an environmental search and land contamination questionnaire must be submitted with the application. This in line with current government guidance- the previous use of the land is not relevant. 

Please visit the Environment section of our website for more information on contaminated land.