Contaminated Land Strategy

1.0 Executive Summary

Thanet District Council has produced this document to provide guidance for the identification, inspection, assessment, and remediation of land which may be designated as Contaminated Land. It is aimed at developers, land and property owners, members of the general public, and as a reference document for Council employees.

The Government has set a target for 60 percent of new homes in the UK to be built on previously developed land, also known as brownfield sites. Some of this land will be contaminated and can only be developed safely using a risk-based approach. This will normally be regulated through planning and development control regimes.

The Government recognised that not all sites will be covered by these regimes. Section 57 of the Environment Act 1990 inserted Part IIA into the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This new legislation is intended to compliment existing controls, causing the area within the district to be inspected by the Council to identify sites of contaminated land.

This strategy guidance describes how Thanet District Council will meet its statutory duty under the legislation. In particular it sets out how the Council will follow the statutory guidance and legislation in relation to: