Contaminated Land
Indicator
Percentage of land that is no longer considered to be
Contaminated.
Status
This is the first year of the indicator in its current form so
comparison with previous years is difficult. However, as work
continues, it is assumed more sites will be addressed than new
sites will be identified.
Overview
The indicator is a measure of all the work undertaken to clarify
whether a site that has been subject to a potentially contaminative
use, incident or activity is Contaminated Land or conversely is
suitable for use. This covers sites that are contaminated from
current activity, historical land-use, natural contamination or a
one-off spill or incident. It is a measure of knowledge and
associated risk as much as remediation of contaminated land
sites.
The indicator is based on the area of 'potentially contaminated
land' within Worcestershire identified by the Local Authorities
during their work as part of the Contaminated Land and Planning
Regimes. This figure is subject to change as more sites are
identified or become likely to be contaminated by their use or an
incident (such as a spill or leak).
The land that is no longer considered to be contaminated is
taken as a percentage of the total 'potentially contaminated land'
and is a measure of the improvement in knowledge and risk from
contamination. It includes work undertaken as part of Local
Authorities' regulatory role under the Contaminated Land Regime to
inspect potentially contaminated land sites and serve a Remediation
Notice; work undertaken by developers during redevelopment; and
voluntary remediation by the local authority, landowners and
organisations.
The indicator is based on the now withdrawn National Indicator
BV216b, but measured in area rather than numbers of sites, for
greater accuracy. As it is not a requirement to collate the
data, local authorities do not necessarily have it to hand.
The information is gathered annually by each of the Local
Authorities and a County figure is calculated from that raw data.
Please note however, that no data has been made available for the
Worcester City Council area, so the figure represents that for
Worcestershire (excluding Worcester City).
Performance
Across the County of Worcestershire (excluding Worcester City)
there is known to be 5660.73 hectares of potentially contaminated
land.
During the period 2008-9 the local authorities (excluding
Worcester City) recorded 284.367 hectares that are no longer
considered to be potentially contaminated land. Thus 5% of
Worcestershire is no longer considered to be potentially
contaminated land through inspection, investigation or
remediation.
Geographical Context
This is a locally developed indicator so national comparisons
can not be made. It is hoped that for future years, Herefordshire
and West Oxfordshire Councils will be willing to compare results.
Actions
Traditionally, improvements through voluntary remediation and
development have been largely consistent through time and across
the county, although recently the recession in the building trade
has reduced remediation through the Planning Regime. However, the
influencing factor on the improvement of the figure is normally the
contribution of the local authority resource in the proactive work
under the Contaminated Land Regime process. There is a disparity
between Worcestershire authorities on the proactive work
undertaken.
Further Information
For more information on how worcestershire's authorities
are dealing with how they will proactively address potentially
contaminated land in their areas visit the following websites:
Bromsgrove: http://www.bromsgrove.gov.uk/cms/
Malvern Hills: http://malvern.whub.org.uk/cms/
Redditch: http://redditch.whub.org.uk/cms/default.aspx
Worcester City: http://www.worcester.gov.uk/
Wychavon: http://www.wychavon.gov.uk/cms/default.aspx
Wyre Forest:http://www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk/cms/default.aspx
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