Steve,
even with a desk-Study how do you know it not contaminated? -
even with a site investigation how do know its not contaminated
(investigate in the wrong place/look for the wrong things)???
A degree of practicality must prevail. If you have done a half
decent job of identifying potential contaminated land sites in your area
(not necessarily prioritised them - but at least know of them) and none
of them relate to this site, and you have no other good reason for
suspecting the site, I would not consider asking for a desk-study.
It would be fantastic to see a desk-top for every sensitive
development - not least because it would mean that developers are taking
their liabilities seriously and assessing the risks they are taking -
but I cant imagine the day that will happen. I read PPS23 in the same
way you did, but unless we are about to enter 'Contaminated Land Officer
Utopia' (where all our resource needs will be catered for - If Carlsberg
made a Contaminated Land Industry...........)it is going to be
impossible to seek a desk-study for all sensitive developments - you
just wont have time to go through them all (I wouldn't have time
anyway).
The statement from the ODPM is a typical "well I told you to do
it" statement - we're all suppose to check our tyres, oil, windscreen
wash and adjust our mirrors before we drive off in the
morning..........but we don't............do we?
I may not fit into the "recognised reference or other respected
source" you looking for, but I'd be surprised if many other LA's do it
any differently.
Hope this helps
Regards,
Darren Hurst
Scientific Officer
Tel: 01773 841318
Fax: 01773 841317
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Contaminated Land Management Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Guppy,
Steve
Sent: 19 October 2005 17:11
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: PPS23 and Residential Developments [Scanned]
A recent informal note from the ODPM regarding land contamination BVPI's
stated in paragraph 43 "A planning application for a sensitive receptor
requires a desk study, according to PPS23, even where the site has not
previously been developed".
I'm currently involved in a rather weighty debate as to how you reach
this conclusion from PPS23. I feel that the document is open to
interpretation and prone to contradiction but have tended to be
over-cautious, taking the opinion recently expressed by the ODPM.
However, my planning department, under pressure from a developer, is
suggesting that we must have some basis as to why we think the land or
the surrounding land may be contaminated before we require a desk study.
I'd be interested to know how other LAs are interpreting and then
applying PPS23. Do you think a sensitive proposal such as a residential
development should be accompanied with a desk study as a matter of
routine and if so do you apply that principle and how (i.e. do you
expect to see it with the application or do you require it by condition
to an approval)?
I'd like to settle this for once and for all so it would be nice to
quote a that gives a definitive answer. Any ides out there?
Regards
Stephen Guppy
Senior Scientific Officer
Southampton City Council
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