Sites the council has identified as potentially contaminated land since April 2000
Case reference EIR2024/01785
Received 24 October 2024
Published 21 November 2024
Request
Please treat the following as a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
1. How many sites has the council identified as potentially contaminated land since the Environmental Protection Act (part 2) came into force in April 2000?
2. Of those how many were prioritised as the highest risk category?
3 How many of these high-risk sites have since been re- assessed and downgraded as not contaminated/or not priority.
4. Of the sites you have designated under the highest risk category, how many have been inspected (i.e. a physical intrusive investigation and not a desktop study)?
5. How many sites inspected had significant levels of contamination, but have since been remediated to remove any significant risk to health?
6. Are there any sites that have been inspected, wherein significant risk to health from contamination was identified, but remedial work has not been completed? If so, please provide with the number of these sites.
7. Are you able to supply us with the reports from your Part 2A of Environment Protection Act (1990) investigations which have already been carried out by the council? Links or attached documents would be acceptable.
8. How many of your high-risk category sites have had an intrusive investigation ( i.e. physical intrusive investigation) in the last 10 years ( i.e. since 2014)?
Response
Please treat the following as a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
1. How many sites has the council identified as potentially contaminated land since the Environmental Protection Act (part 2) came into force in April 2000?
Answer: 8,131
2. Of those how many were prioritised as the highest risk category?
Answer: 100
3 How many of these high-risk sites have since been re- assessed and downgraded as not contaminated/or not priority.
Answer: The Service Area can confirm that they have investigated and assessed two sites through Part 2A to date, one of which was determined as contaminated land in 2001 but was more recently subject to reassessment to consider whether the initial determination remained valid.
The second site was subject to investigation in partnership with the Environment Agency between 2011 and 2014. This site was considered not to meet the criteria for determination as contaminated land.
Both sites were complex landfill sites with risks from ground gases and contaminated groundwater primary contaminant linkages under consideration.
A copy of this Council’s Contaminated Land Strategy can be found using the following link: Herefordshire Council Contaminated Land Strategy
4. Of the sites you have designated under the highest risk category, how many have been inspected (i.e. a physical intrusive investigation and not a desktop study)?
Answer: Herefordshire Council has investigated and assessed two sites through Part 2A to date.
5. How many sites inspected had significant levels of contamination, but have since been remediated to remove any significant risk to health?
Answer: A single site has been determined under the Part 2A regime as contaminated land in Herefordshire. This is a former landfill site to the north of Hereford. The Remediation Notice accompanying the determination required improvements to be made to the landfill’s active gas extraction system and flare.
6. Are there any sites that have been inspected, wherein significant risk to health from contamination was identified, but remedial work has not been completed? If so, please provide with the number of these sites.
Answer: None
7. Are you able to supply us with the reports from your Part 2A of Environment Protection Act (1990) investigations which have already been carried out by the council? Links or attached documents would be acceptable.
Answer: The Service Area have advised that our Part 2A Strategy discusses the investigations that have been carried out to date in Herefordshire. We would recommend reference is made to this in the first instance and that the site(s) of interest be specified. This is referenced in our answer to question 3 but it’s reiterated here in the context of the question.
“….Two sites have been investigated and assessed through Part 2A to date. One of which was determined as contaminated land in 2001 but was more recently subject to reassessment to consider whether the initial determination remained valid. A second site was subject to investigation in partnership with the Environment Agency between 2011 and 2014. This site was considered not to meet the criteria for determination as contaminated land. Both sites were complex landfill sites with risks from ground gases and contaminated groundwater primary contaminant linkages under consideration.” Herefordshire Council Contaminated Land Strategy
The above landfill sites are referred to as ‘Stretton Sugwas’ and ‘Sutton Walls’. A number of site investigation reports and a large volume of data has been collated as part of the assessment process (including desk studies and intrusive phase). To understand what information is required, we would ask that the enquiry be more targeted to areas of specific interest i.e. ‘Please provide Sutton Walls Desk Study Report(s)’ or ‘Please provide Stretton Sugwas gas risk assessment’. The broad approach adopted in the question is difficult to respond to authoritatively.
We appreciate it is difficult for the enquirer when they may not know what reports may be available so, as an alternative, with their permission, we would be happy to discuss with them directly. The enquirer can initially contact us via email: ethelpline@herefordshire.gov.uk
8. How many of your high-risk category sites have had an intrusive investigation ( i.e. physical intrusive investigation) in the last 10 years ( i.e. since 2014)?
Answer: Please see the response to question 3.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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