Purpose

Bath & North
East Somerset Council is required to have a Contaminated
Land Strategy under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act
1990.
 
The provisions in The Act were introduced to
provide a better way to identify and remediate contaminated
land.  Under section 78B of the Act
every local authority is required to cause its area to be inspected
from time to time for the purposes of identifying Contaminated
Land.
 
In accordance with statutory guidance issued
in April 2012 by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs under section 78YA of the Act local authorities are
required to prepare, implement, and keep under periodic review, a
Contaminated Land Inspection Strategy. The Council first published
its Contaminated Land Strategy in 2001.
 
The Strategy has been updated. This reviews
the progress that has been made to implement the Contaminated Land
Strategy and sets out the Councils plans for continuing its work.
It also reflects updates to guidance and Council policies.

Decision

To approve the revised Contaminated Land
Strategy to be published online on the B&NES website and to be
publicly available online and by request.

Reasons for the decision

Bath & North East Somerset
Council (“the Council”) is required to have a
Contaminated Land Strategy as required under Part 2A of the
Environmental Protection Act 1990 (“the
Act”).
 
In 2001 the Council published its Contaminated Land
Strategy (“the Strategy”) detailing how it would
undertake its inspection.
 
The Strategy has been updated, as required in a periodic
fashion or following updated guidance.
The updated Strategy also reviews the progress that has been made
to implement the Contaminated Land Strategy and sets out the
Councils plans for continuing its work.

Alternative options considered

None.