The UK has a long history of industrial development. It has left a legacy of contaminated land that poses risks to the environment and to public health.
The Environmental Protection Act 1990 addresses severe instances of contaminated land. It gives us various duties to clean contaminated sites and make them fit for purpose.
- Our Contaminated Land Strategy [PDF, 2MB] describes how we identify, inspect and remediate contaminated land
- We keep a public register of contaminated land [PDF, 0.1MB], as required by the Environmental Protection Act
Information for developers
Land contamination is a material consideration in the planning process. You are responsible for making sure your developments are safe and suitable for use.
You must provide a contaminated land risk assessment for all sites with a history of industrial use.
- Our guide to contaminated land is in Appendix 7 of the Greater Cambridge Sustainable Design and Construction SPD.
Land-use history report
A land-use history report might be useful if you are planning to develop a site that has a known previous use.
We can provide a summary report of historic land-use information dating back to the 1860s. It will include aerial photographs and a review of the information in our archives from 1990 onwards.
The report costs £220 plus VAT. Contact us to request one.
