How does the Council assess sites under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act?
To be determined as contaminated land under Part 2A of the EPA 1990, the site needs to meet three criteria, termed a pollutant linkage; a) a pollutant needs to be present on site, b) there needs to be a receptor that could be exposed to the contamination, c) there needs to be a pathway whereby the receptor could be exposed to the contamination If all three of these criteria are met (in a significant pollutant linkage) then the site may be determined as contaminated land. Whether it is depends on the concentration of the contaminant and whether it is in sufficient quantities to cause significant possibility of significant harm as a minimum requirement. More detailed information can be found in DEFRA Circular 01/2006. You can also view our Contaminated Land Strategy and there is a best practice guide laid out in CLR 11 (Management of Land Contamination). Assessment consists of a series of processes, the first being a desktop study. If the desktop study shows the possibility of a pollutan
