Contaminated Land and the Planning Process
Gas Holder
There are areas throughout the district that have fallen into disuse. Some have been left as unsightly wasteland or derelict buildings. This type of land is known as "brownfield" land. These sites can have a detrimental effect on the environment and social quality of the area and it can, therefore, be beneficial to redevelop these sites.
Much of this brownfield land is contaminated and in past years has often been considered unattractive to clean up and bring back into beneficial use, especially where there have been alternative "greenfield" sites available. However, modern technologies and approaches have enabled this kind of land to be redeveloped.
Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury
The Government now wants to bring as much brownfield land as possible back into use and is encouraging the regeneration of previously developed land to limit unnecessary development of greenfield sites and preserve the countryside. Strict targets have been set to encourage building of the majority of new houses on brownfield land.
Placing Conditions on Planning Applications
When planning applications are submitted to Aylesbury Vale District Council the Land and Air Quality Team are automatically consulted for comment. Therefore if any development is due to take place on land that is potentially contaminated, a series of conditions can be placed on the application.
Residential Area
In order to meet these conditions we need to be satisfied that the developer has performed an adequate assessment of the risks posed by any contaminants present and that any remedial measures are suitable so that no harm will be caused to end users. These conditions also require the developer to perform a risk assessment of the site, taking into consideration previous use, geology and hydrology, together with the intended end use.
Many brownfield sites have been successfully redeveloped within the district through this process.
A copy of the standard contaminated land conditions that may be placed on new developments can be found below.
The Land and Air Quality Team have also produced a document entitled “Briefing note on the Assessment and Remediation of Potentially Contaminated Land – Guidance for Environmental Consultants and Developers”. This document outlines how environmental consultants and developers can meet the standard contaminated land conditions. A copy of this document can be found below.
Date Updated: 19/12/08