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Contaminated Land
Industrial activity throughout the UK has left us with the legacy of old derelict sites, many with problems of residual contamination. Some of these sites are potentially hazardous to human health, watercourses or other such sensitive receptors.
In the past it has been difficult to force the cleanup of such sites. However, new legislation formed under Part IIa of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 was introduced in April 2000 to facilitate the identification and remediation of such sites. As part of this legislation, Local Authorities were given the responsibility of developing a strategy for inspecting their areas and identifying potentially harmful sites.
Together with most other Local Authorities, we have published our 
Contaminated Land Inspection Strategy and we are now at the stage of inspecting and prioritising potentially contaminated sites within the district at the Planning Application stage.
This involves the use of historical records and maps to identify locations where potentially polluting activities once took place. There is a legal definition of contaminated land and the purpose of this inspection process is to identify sites that need to be classified as contaminated.
A Guide to Submitting Applications For Land That May Be Contaminated has been produced by the Derbyshire Contaminated Land Sub-Group. The Environment Agency and DEFRA also have useful information on contaminated land.
For further information, please telephone our Contact Centre on 01246 242424 or submit an enquiry form
Last Updated on Tuesday, 07 June 2011 11:34
