Agenda and minutes

To approve as correct the notes of the meeting held on 22 August 2016.

The group approved the notes of the meeting held on 22 August 2016.

At the invitation of the Chairman, Officers explained that since April 2000 Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 has required local authorities to produce a written inspection strategy to identify areas of contaminated land in their districts. The Council’s original contaminated land inspection strategy was agreed by Cabinet in September 2001 and was reviewed and amended in 2007. The existing strategy was due for review.

Since the adoption of the previous contaminated land inspection strategy there had been a number of revisions to the statutory guidance and government policy relating to contaminated land. In addition recent constraints had emerged such as the removal of government funding for investigation and remediation work together with the reduced support for local authorities from the Environment Agency. Those constraints would impact on how the Council fulfilled its statutory duties.

Following the revision of the Council’s contaminated land strategy in 2007 substantial progress has been made in meeting the targets identified. All sites considered as potentially having significant risk have been visited and preliminary site walkover inspections completed. No sites have been found which required remediation.

The Chairman thanked Officers for introducing the item and for circulating the draft strategy. Members’ discussed:

·         The role of developers in dealing with contaminated land

·         Liability and exclusion tests

·         The Shoreham cement works site

·         The cost of investigations and testing

·         Whether there was prioritisation of sites according to future use

·         The impact of fly tipping and the approach to heating oil spillage

·         Historic landfill sites

·         The responsibilities of the Environment Agency

Officers clarified that the role of the council was limited by regulation and did not include matters such as waste and minerals planning, slurry or matters for which the Environment Agency was responsible. The regulation of landfill sites since the 1980s had mitigated risk once a site had been decommissioned.

The group supported the draft strategy for consultation and consequent decision by Cabinet in January.