Contaminated land

Plymouth and its surroundings have experienced intense industrial activity in many areas from the 18th and 19th centuries, right through to the present day. The city's current commercial and economic status owes much to this industrial past.

Past industrial activity within the city area has had a big impact over the years on the local environment. In particular it has left a legacy of potentially contaminated land at sites used for former industry, waste disposal and also where previous excavations and low-lying areas have been in-filled. In certain areas some risks stemming from past land use have needed to be addressed in order to protect the health of people living and working in the surrounding area and/or the environment.

Land in general within the city is an important major resource as its re-use allows:

• Regeneration and development of existing communities
• Demand for new housing and social amenities to be met
• The preservation of 'greenfield' areas
• Development of new sustainable urban communities

Policy

In April 2000, Local Authorities in England and Wales were given legal responsibility under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act as well as associated guidance, to address the general problem of potentially contaminated land, with the aim of allowing maximum sustainable re-use and/or regeneration of this land. We are committed to fulfilling this responsibility in the following ways:

• Liaising and communicating appropriately with the public and industry
• Ensuring that appropriate systems are in place to implement the strategy
• Acquiring appropriate information relating to the environment and contamination
• Identifying contaminated land in the Plymouth area
• Ensuring that the most serious problems are dealt with first
• Setting realistic objectives and time scales