Hi Paul,
Long time since we have spoken
You’re right of course a walkover is always preferable but not always
included in reports and I hope the discussion has clarified CLO’s concerns
regarding what we should be asking for and when. I am still of the opinion
that given the right circumstances a desktop study may not require a
walkover survey. It has also shown there is a marked difference between
LA’s in their application and interpretation of the guidance how much of
this is related to officer experience, resources and council policy I
wouldn’t like to say but I believe by having these discussions we can
formulate a better understanding of the day to day issues we all face.
As you pointed out developers are in it for the dough and I particularly
like the point Paul Nathanail made that no real extra effort or cost is
involved if the right person does a combined geotechnical/land
contamination walkover. This would largely be the responsibility of the
consultancies to educate their clients that such a simple exercise could
have a significant effect on the success of a site investigation. (I am
sure good Consultancies do this already)
Christiaan
|