Contaminated land

We have a responsibility to check those sites in Northumberland are not causing harm to human health or the environment. Our duty is to:

• identify and remove proportionate risks to human health and the environment
• ensure contaminated land is made suitable for its current use
• ensure remediation (clean-up costs) of the land is feasible and sustainable without causing unnecessary hardship, stress or further damage to the environment

We keep an up-to-date record of sites listed for further investigation and our strategy ensures we inspect higher risk sites every year.

There are currently no entries on the public register of contaminated land. To inspect the register free of charge, please make an appointed during office hours at the County Hall, Morpeth NE61 2EF, 01670 623870.

You may be interested in contaminated land because:

• you are buying a property and the environmental search has failed
• you are developing a brownfield site which may need remediation work
• you have been affected by a leak or spillage of oil or chemicals

For site specific queries, your enquiry will be logged as a request for information under the environmental information regulations. Please see below for the charges of this service.

For developers, brownfield sites will need assessment to ensure the site is suitable for use. The guidance document development on land affected by contamination outlines procedures to follow.

Preferably, you should carry out a phase one desk study prior to submitting a planning application. This will identify whether further intrusive site investigation works are recommended to identify risks.

Planning conditions may apply for investigation and remediation if necessary.

The council investigates incidents where land has been contaminated by spillages or leaks and ensures sites are remediated to an acceptable standard for their current use. Failure to clean up pollution could lead to land being determined as contaminated in the future.

Requests for information relating to environmental searches will be dealt with under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

A simple information request can be provided at a cost of £57 (+ VAT) for up to two hours’ work. We will consult our database of sites, including those listed for further investigation and the priority they have been assigned.

For more complex requests, the information is provided at a cost of £57 + £25 per hour (+ VAT). This involves retrieving information from our database as well as site specific queries you may have, such as:

• complaints about pollution
• records of spillages
• ground conditions

Following your request, an officer will advise you of any charges and how long it will take to collect the information. Once payment is received, we will send the information to you within 20 working days. If we do not receive payment within 60 days of your request, we will assume you are not proceeding.

Alternatively, you can visit our offices to view this information. This service is free of charge. There is a small charge for any photocopying and printing you require – black and white = 20p (A4) / 40p (A3) a copy, colour = 40p (A4) / 60p (A3) a copy. Please telephone to make an appointment on 01670 623870 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

The Information Commissioner’s Office website offers more advice regarding your rights to access information.
 

Hours spent	Cost
Up to 2 hours for simple request	£68.40
3 hours	£98.40
4 hours	£128.40
5 hours	£158.40

All prices include VAT @ 20%

• YALPAG Planning Guidance - Development on Land Affected by Contamination (PDF) - Version 9.2 - 1021kb - March 2018
• YALPAG Technical Guidance - Verification Requirements for Cover Systems (PDF) - 1413kB Oct 2016
• YALPAG Technical Guidance - Verification Requirements for Gas Protection Systems (PDF) - 4428kB - Dec 2016
• YALPAG - Contamination Assessment - Screening Assessment Form (PDF) - Version 9.2 - 147kB - March 2018
• ​2013 - Northumberland County Council - Contaminated Land Strategy (PDF) - 2100kB - Aug 2013