Issue - meetings

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 has made the following recommendation that: the revised Contaminated Land Cost Recovery Policy be adopted.

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.

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

The Group received the *Contaminated Land Cost Recovery Policy prepared by the Group Manager for Public Health and Regulatory Services.

The Lead Officer, Private Sector Housing, explained that the policy related to the recovery of costs for remedial action taken to clear private contaminated land.

She explained that previously the Council had been reimbursed for this service by the DEFRA Contaminated Land Capital Project Programme by this initiative had closed in 2017 and the Council now had a duty to reclaim the costs via individuals. She further explained that there was a Hardship policy aimed at people who could not afford to pay for remedial actions.

She outlined the revisions to the policy:

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

·         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)

It was therefore:

RECOMMENDED to the Cabinet to adopt the revised Contaminated Land Cost Recovery Policy

(Proposed by Cllr B Holman and seconded by Cllr Mrs M E Squires)

Note: * Contaminated Land Cost Recovery Policy previously circulated and attached to the minutes.

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