Under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, North Lincolnshire Council is required to inspect its area for the purpose of identifying contaminated land. As the first stage in this process, the Council is required to submit a Strategy for inspection to the Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions, setting out a rational, ordered and efficient approach to the inspection.
North Lincolnshire Council’s aims in addressing issues relating to land contamination are set out, in priority order, as follows:
- Protect human health.
- Protect controlled waters.
- Protect sensitive ecosystems.
- Prevent and protect against damage to property.
- Prevent further contamination of land, using preventative mechanisms where appropriate.
- Encourage and promote voluntary action.
- Encourage and promote redevelopment of damaged land.
A five-year inspection programme, beginning in July 2001 following publication of the Strategy, will be undertaken. The area will be divided into parishes, and prioritised initially based on population size. Further prioritisation will be based on other sensitive receptors (controlled waters, protected ecosystems etc.) within the parishes.
Within the general Strategy for inspection, priority will be given to council-owned land and land identified for development in the Council’s Local Plan. Once the area has been inspected and potentially contaminated land identified a final exercise will be undertaken to establish priorities for remediation. There is a potential for areas of land to be identified that will require urgent remedial action, and these will be addressed as they arise.
North Lincolnshire Council is the primary regulator for Part IIA and contaminated land. However there will be a need for consultation with other organisations, particularly the Environment Agency. Detailed consultation will be undertaken with both statutory and non-statutory consultees, including Town and Parish Councils, between January and June 2001, when comments will be invited on the draft version of the Inspection Strategy.
The new regime for contaminated land sets out a clear and detailed framework for the management of contaminated land, including clear criteria that must be met before land may be designated as statutory contaminated land. The authority must also maintain a register of designated Contaminated Land for public inspection. It is likely that the expectations of some members of the public will not be met by the powers of local authorities under Part IIA.