Contaminated land
Land may become contaminated through various activities such as industrial operations, waste management activities, spillages and leaks. The Pollution Control Division has various statutory responsibilities and functions to ensure that any potential harm or pollution caused by such land is minimisedAmongst these duties the predominant activities are:
- The implementation and enforcement of Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and subsidiary legislation and guidance.
- This regime establishes a regulatory mechanism of determination and remediation of "contaminated land" and requires local authorities to prepare and publish a strategy for inspection
- Download our Strategy for Inspection (360 kb)
- Provision of information and advice in relation to contaminated land issues applicable to the development control process. This may take the form of consultation with Planning Services, developers (or their consultants) or indeed provision of expert evidence in appeals enquiries etc. The Division may also undertake its own monitoring of sites which are the subject of such planning applications;
- Provision of environmental information in relation to land contamination;
- The Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control system requires various processes (prescribed by legislation) to be "permitted" to operate. The permits will be aimed at integrating the control of emissions to air, water and land as well as issues such as energy efficiency, waste management and accident prevention. Local authorities will be required to regulate a proportion of these prescribed processes which will include the control of the release of substances to land;
- The Division is more than willing to offer advice and guidance to businesses or individuals on contaminated land issues. Indeed it is important for any business to contact us if they become aware of contamination issues at an early stage so that any action (whether mandatory or voluntary) can be focused to avoid unnecessary costs.
In addition the Division has taken a proactive role in the investigation, monitoring and remediation of potentially contaminated sites owned by the local authority. As early as 1986 we were undertaking remediation of known former landfill sites.The Division has been involved with the remediation and investigation of around 20 sites of this nature and continues to monitor them, and several other known sites, as part of our ongoing landfill gas monitoring programme.
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Contact us
Pollution Control
Engineering and Transportation Services
Walsall Council
2nd floor, Civic Centre
Darwall Street
Walsall
WS1 1DG
Telephone 01922 653348
Fax 01922 623234
Email pollutioncontrol@walsall.gov.uk
This page was last updated on 28 August 2008