Council seeks your views on plans to deal with potentially contaminated land

Cheshire East Council wants your views on its plans for dealing with potentially contaminated land in the borough.

Following recent cabinet approval, the council is updating its five-year strategy for identifying and inspecting potentially contaminated sites. The strategy has been streamlined and reflects the authority's priorities and objectives up to 2026.

Local authorities are asked to draw up a contaminated land strategy and to deal with land that could present unacceptable risks to human health, the environment or property. The responsibility given to councils falls under the Contaminated Land Statutory Guidance, issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Examples could include former landfill sites, tanneries or industrial sites. 

The policy will meet one of the council’s core objectives to be a green borough and, while currently there is no evidence of any contamination posing a threat to human health, there are a number of sites which require further assessment, in line with the council’s obligations under the Environment Protection Act 1990. 

A consultation process is now under way and residents and other interested parties are urged to take part.

Councillor Mick Warren, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for communities, said: “This strategy will reflect our policy and commitment to make Cheshire East a green and sustainable place in which to live.

“Environmental issues tend to dominate our lives and, as a council, we have a responsibility to ensure that we are addressing the matter of contaminated land in the borough. 

“We wish to see more brownfield sites developed in preference to greenfield and, therefore, it is essential these sites are capable of being developed safely and that costs of clean up do not fall upon our council taxpayers further down the line.

“We are an enforcing authority and, where necessary, we will take action to compel landowners to clean up their sites and prevent pollution and any risk to our residents and the environment.”

The consultation is open until 5pm on 26 March 2021 and the council is urging any residents or interested parties to take part