Decision details

To receive the 5 yearly review of the Contaminated Land Cost Recovery Policy from the Group Manager for Public Health and Regulatory Services

Following consideration of a report of the Group Manager for Public Health and Regulatory Services reviewing the Contaminated Land Cost Recovery Policy, the Community Policy Development Group had made the following recommendation that: the revised Contaminated Land Cost Recovery Policy be adopted.

The Cabinet Member for Community Well-Being outlined the contents of the report stating that minor amendments were incorporated into the revised policy which included the following:

·      Reformatting the policy in-line with current policy document templates and changing reference to the ‘local authority’ to ‘the Council’ where necessary for clarity.

·      Minor legislative updates (EU Exit regulations on Environmental Regulations in 2019 and repeal of Housing Act 1996 in England)

·      Pending changes to updated Environment Agency Guidance (Land contamination: risk management (LCRM – due to replace current model procedures called CLR11 in 2020)

·      Closure of the Defra Contaminated Land Capital Projects Programme in March 2017

·      The updated Housing Assistance Policy 2019-22 (availability of Healthy Homes Grants in addition to the on-going Wessex Home Improvement Loan product)

·      Cost recovery

Consideration was given to:

·         The number of sites that had the potential to meet the definition of contaminated land

·         How many times had the council secured remediation

·         The financial implications for  the Council.

RESOLVED that the recommendation of the Policy Development Group be approved.

 (Proposed by Cllr D J Knowles and seconded by Cllr C R Slade)

Reason for Decision – there is a need for the Contaminated Land Cost Recovery Policy to be in place.

Note:  *Report previously circulated, copy attached to minutes.