Contaminated Land Strategy
The Government believes contaminated land to be "an archetypal
example of our failure in the past to move towards sustainable
development". The first priority has therefore been specified as
the prevention of new contamination via the pollution control
regimes.
Secondly there are three stated objectives underlying the
suitable for use approach as follows:
- to identify and remove unacceptable risks to human health and
the environment;
- to seek to bring damaged land back into beneficial use;
- and to seek to ensure that the cost burdens faced by
individuals, companies and society as a whole are proportionate,
manageable and economically sustainable.
The suitable for use approach recognises that risk can only be
satisfactorily assessed in the context of a specific use with the
aim of maintaining an acceptable level of risk at minimum cost,
thereby, "not disturbing social, economic and environmental
priorities".