Affected by contaminated land?

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The Government considers that there is a very high probability that all land, which has been subject to the eight uses set out below, is contaminated unless previously treated.

• Manufacture of gas, coke or bituminous material from coal.
• Manufacture of refining of lead or steel or an alloy of lead or steel.
• Manufacture of asbestos or asbestos products.
• Manufacture, refining or recovery of petroleum or its derivatives, other than extraction from petroleum bearing ground.
• Manufacture, refining or recovery of other chemicals, excluding minerals.
• Final deposits in or on land of household, commercial or industrial waste other than waste consisting of ash, slag, clinker, rock, wood, gypsum, railway ballast, peat, bricks, tiles, concrete, glass, other minerals or dredging spoil; or where waste is used as a fertiliser or in order to condition the land in some other beneficial manner.
• Treatment at a fixed installation of household, commercial or industrial waste by chemical or thermal means.
• Use as a scrap metal store, within the meaning of section 9(2) of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964(a).

The following list of uses offers guidance as to when there is a 'suspicion' of contamination.

Agriculture

• Burial of diseased livestock.

Extractive Industry

• Extracting, handling and storage of carbonaceous materials e.g. coal, lignite, petroleum, natural gas, and bituminous shale.
• Extracting, handling and storage of ores and their constituents.

Energy Industry

• Production from coal, lignite, oil, or other carbonaceous material other than from sewage or waste.
• Reforming, refining, purifying, and odourising natural gas or any other product of the processes outlined above.
• Pyrolysis, carbonisation, distillation, liquefaction, partial oxidisation, other heat treatment, conversion, purification or refining of coal, lignite, oil, other carbonaceous material or mixtures and products thereof.
• A thermal power station.
• Electricity substation.

Production of metals

• Production, refining or recovery of metals by physical, chemical, thermal, or electronic or other extraction process.
• Heating, melting or casting metals as part of an intermediate or final manufacturing process.
• Cold forming processes e.g. pressing, rolling, extruding stamping.
• Finishing treatments, including anodising. pickling, coating and plating or similar processes.

Production of non-metal and their products

• Production or refining of non-metals by treatment of the ore.
• Production or processing of mineral fibres by treatment of the ore.
• Cement, lime and gypsum manufacture, brickworks and associated processes.

Glass making and ceramics

• Manufacture of glass and products based on glass.
• Manufacture of ceramics and products based on ceramics and products based on ceramics including glazes and vitreous enamel.

Production and use of chemicals

• Production, refining, recovery or storage of petroleum or petrochemicals or their by-products, including tar and bitumen processes and manufacture of asphalt.
• Production, refining and bulk storage of organic or inorganic chemicals including fertilisers, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, soaps, detergents, cosmetics, toiletries, dyestuffs, inks, paints, fireworks, pyrotechnic materials or recovered chemicals.
• Production, refining and bulk storage of industrial gases.

Engineering and manufacturing processes

• Manufacture of metal goods including mechanical engineering industrial plant or steel work, motor vehicles, ships, railway or tramway vehicles, aircraft, aerospace equipment or similar equipment.
• Storage, manufacture or testing of explosives, propellants, ordnance, small arms or ammunition.
• Manufacture and repair of electrical and electronic components and equipment.

Food Processing Industry

• Manufacture of pet foods or animal foodstuffs.
• Processing of animal by products including rendering or maggot farming, but excluding slaughterhouses and butchering.

Paper, Pulp and Printing Industries

• Making of paper pulp, paper or board, or paper or board products, including printing or de-inking.

Timber and Timber products Industry

• Chemical treatment and coating of timber and timber producers.

Textile Industry

• Tanning, dressing, fellmongering or other process for preparing, treating or working leather.
• Fulling, bleaching, dyeing or finishing fabrics or fibres.
• Manufacture of carpets or other textile floor coverings including linoleum works.

Rubber Industry

• Processing of natural or synthetic rubber including tyre manufacture or retreading.

Infrastructure

• Marshalling, dismantling, repairing or maintenance of railway rolling stock.
• Dismantling, repairing or maintenance of marine vessels, including hovercraft.
• Dismantling, repairing or maintenance of air or space transport systems.

Waste Disposal

• Treating of sewage or other effluent.
• Storage, treatment or disposal of sludge from water treatment works.
• Treatment, keeping, depositing or disposal of waste, including scrap.
• Storage or disposal of radioactive materials.

Miscellaneous

• Premises housing dry cleaning operations.
• Laboratories for educational or research purposes.
• Demolition of buildings, plant or equipment used for any of the activities in this list.

Source: Department of the Environment Consultation Paper, Public Registers of Land which may be Contaminated, May 1991.

Last updated: 18 March 2011