CONTAMINATED LAND STRATEGY 2021 Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 REGULATORY CONTEXT ............................................................................................................... 1 1.2 ROLE OF CHESHIRE EAST COUNCIL ................................................................................................. 2 1.3 ROLE OF THE ENVIRONMENT AGENCY ............................................................................................. 2 1.3.1 Definition of Contaminated Land .................................................................................. 2 1.3.2 Risk Assessment ........................................................................................................... 3 1.4 GENERAL POLICY OF THE LOCAL AUTHORITY ..................................................................................... 4 1.4.1 Environmental Issues ................................................................................................... 4 1.4.2 Enforcement ................................................................................................................ 5 1.4.3 Land Contamination and Planning................................................................................ 5 1.5 DEVELOPMENT OF THE STRATEGY .................................................................................................. 6 1.6 OBJECTIVES OF STRATEGY DOCUMENT ............................................................................................ 7 2 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LOCAL AUTHORITY AREA ................................................................. 8 2.1 GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION ........................................................................................................... 8 2.2 CHESHIRE EAST, PAST AND PRESENT............................................................................................... 8 2.3 KEY INFORMATION RELATING TO CHESHIRE EAST ............................................................................... 9 2.3.1 Source Protection Zones ............................................................................................... 9 2.3.2 Protected Ecological Locations ................................................................................... 10 2.3.3 Key Historic Environment Property Types .................................................................... 10 2.3.4 Current Land Use Characteristics ................................................................................ 10 2.3.5 Known Information on Contamination ........................................................................ 11 2.3.6 Redevelopment History and Controls .......................................................................... 11 2.3.7 Action Already Taken to Deal with Contaminated Land ............................................... 12 3 THE LOCAL AUTHORITY STRATEGY: OVERALL AIMS ................................................................ 13 3.1 GENERAL AIMS ....................................................................................................................... 13 3.2 OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................................ 14 4 PRIORITY ACTIONS AND TIMESCALES...................................................................................... 17 4.1 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS .......................................................................................... 17 4.2 IDENTIFYING SITES WITHIN THE BOROUGH ..................................................................................... 17 4.3 PRIORITISING SITES WITHIN THE BOROUGH .................................................................................... 18 4.4 TIMESCALES AND REVIEW .......................................................................................................... 18 5 PROCEDURES .......................................................................................................................... 19 5.1 INTERNAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INSPECTION AND IDENTIFICATION ....................................................... 19 5.2 CONSIDERING THE COUNCIL’S INTEREST IN LAND ............................................................................. 19 5.3 INFORMATION COLLECTION ........................................................................................................ 20 5.4 INFORMATION AND SERVICE REQUESTS ......................................................................................... 20 5.4.1 Voluntary information provision ................................................................................. 21 5.4.2 Anonymous provision of information .......................................................................... 21 5.5 INFORMATION EVALUATION ....................................................................................................... 21 5.6 EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PREVIOUS ACTIONS TO DEAL WITH CONTAMINATION ......................... 21 6 GENERAL LIAISON AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES ......................................................... 23 6.1 COMMUNICATION STRATEGY ...................................................................................................... 23 6.2 STATUTORY CONSULTEES ........................................................................................................... 24 6.2.1 Environment Agency .................................................................................................. 24 6.3 TRANSBOUNDARY LIAISON BETWEEN AUTHORITIES .......................................................................... 24 6.4 OWNERS, OCCUPIERS AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES..................................................................... 25 7 PROGRAMME FOR INSPECTION .............................................................................................. 26 7.1 ENSURING COMPLIANCE WITH STATUTORY GUIDANCE ...................................................................... 26 7.2 METHODS OF INSPECTION.......................................................................................................... 26 7.2.1 Strategic Inspections .................................................................................................. 26 7.2.2 Detailed Inspections ................................................................................................... 27 7.3 ‘NORMAL’ CONTAMINATION ...................................................................................................... 27 7.4 FINAL ASSESSMENT AND RISK CATEGORISATION .............................................................................. 29 7.5 CATEGORY 4 SCREENING LEVELS (C4SLS) ...................................................................................... 29 7.6 APPOINTMENT OF EXTERNAL CONSULTANTS ................................................................................... 30 7.7 SITE SPECIFIC LIAISON ............................................................................................................... 30 7.7.1 Owners ...................................................................................................................... 30 7.7.2 Appropriate Persons................................................................................................... 31 7.7.3 Environment Agency .................................................................................................. 31 7.7.4 Natural England/Historic England .............................................................................. 31 7.8 STATUTORY POWERS OF ENTRY ................................................................................................... 32 7.9 POTENTIAL SPECIAL SITES .......................................................................................................... 33 7.9.1 Identifying Potential Special Sites ............................................................................... 33 7.9.2 Notifying the Environment Agency ............................................................................. 34 7.9.3 Making Arrangements for Inspection ......................................................................... 34 7.10 HEALTH AND SAFETY PROCEDURES .......................................................................................... 34 7.11 SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE .................................................................................... 34 8 REVIEW MECHANISMS ............................................................................................................ 36 8.1 REVIEW OF ASSUMPTIONS AND INFORMATION ................................................................................ 36 8.2 STRATEGY REVIEW ................................................................................................................... 36 9 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................... 37 9.1 GENERAL PRINCIPLES ................................................................................................................ 37 9.2 INFORMATION CONTENT ........................................................................................................... 37 9.2.1 Public Register of Contaminated Land ........................................................................ 37 9.2.2 Risk Summaries .........................................................................................................