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What is contaminated land?

Land that has become polluted by substances which may be harmful to humans or the environment. This usually happens as a result of, spillages or leakages of chemicals and fuels on past industrial sites or the disposal of rubbish and waste in tips and landfill sites.

We have a duty under Part 2A Environmental Protection Act 1990 to identify land that presents an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment and ensure that those who are responsible for the contamination clean it up. Bury Council's Contaminated Land Strategy sets out the way we deal with potentially contaminated land.

Our Contaminated Land Strategy is under review.

Developments on contaminated land

If you are the owner or developer of a site it is your responsibility to investigate and address any contamination issues and ensure that any future development is safe and suitable for use.

If your development is for a sensitive end use such as housing, or you are developing land that has had past industrial uses or where waste has been tipped, it is likely that you will need to provide a contaminated land risk assessment as part of your planning application. Please contact us if you wish to discuss your development and our requirements for the submission of a contaminated land risk assessment.

Request a conveyancing search or environmental information

We undertake conveyancing and environmental searches and provide information on environmental issues for sites within Bury. Where a written response to an enquiry is required there is a charge for this service.

Make an enquiry about a contaminated land or landfill issue