Pollution issues
Contaminated land in Wandsworth
What is contaminated land?
Land that has within it or on or under its surface substances that may pose a risk of significant harm to human health or to the wider environment, including water resources, the local ecosystem and built structures.
Contamination in land largely arises as a result of industrial activities or past waste disposal practices.
Historical perspective
Although in more recent times there has been a decline in the industrial uses made of land in Wandsworth, from about the 18th century onwards there has been a considerable amount of industry operating within the borough. Many of these industries developed along land adjoining the River Thames and the River Wandle using the river water for power and/or transport. Nevertheless, there have also been industrial operators in other parts of the borough.
There has been a wide variety of potentially polluting industrial processes active in the borough, ranging from gas works, large-scale oil storage depots and metal foundries to mills, engineering works and even petrol stations.
What can we do?
There are two regimes that we are following to deal with the legacy of contaminated land within the borough.
The first is the planning and development control process. This applies when a site has a redevelopment proposal that requires planning approval. If a site may be contaminated then a condition can be placed on a planning approval requiring a site investigation and the implementation of a satisfactory scheme of remedial works.
The second regime commences in April 2000 and implements the Government's contaminated land strategy for England. This has a number of stages that may be briefly summarised in the following points:
- Develop and consult on a strategy for identification of contaminated land in Wandsworth.
View a summary of the strategy
- Investigation of documentary evidence of likelihood of contamination of land;
- Inspect sites identified from above to determine contaminative status and identify 'special sites' (which are to be dealt with by the Environment Agency). In deciding if contamination exists, show that there is a source (the contamination), a receptor (who or what may be suffering harm) and a pathway linking these;
- Determine and notify those liable for the contamination (the 'appropriate persons');
- Negotiate a voluntary remediation scheme with the appropriate persons or, in its absence, serve a remediation notice;
- Create and maintain a public register detailing sites, actions and outcomes.
Want to know more?
You may wish to contact the officer in Environmental Services who deals with contaminated land matters, as follows:
Roy Fox
Area Environmental Health Officer - Environmental Initiatives Team
Telephone 020 8871 7874
Email rfox@wandsworth.gov.uk
You can find out more about contaminated land at the Environment Agency web site.
Wandsworth's contaminated land inspection strategy - summary
The contaminated land inspection strategy deals with the following topics:
- The legal definition of contaminated land
- The role of the Environmental Agency
- The relevant legislation
- A profile of the Borough of Wandsworth, and possibility of contaminated land in the area
- The names and contact details for the relevant officers
- The aims and objectives of the strategy
- How the inspection process will be carried out
- Provision of information
- Consultation and liaison with other organisations
 Download a full copy of the strategy (105 kb)
|
