Unfit land guide welcomed

Housebuilders gave a cautious welcome to the Government's draft guidance on the definition and identification of contaminated land this week.

The House Builders' Federation said that the guidance would help to clarify the problems of identifying and defining contaminated land but did not go far enough in defining the local authorities' responsibility in identifying the risks.

'The guidance is pointing in the right direction,' said HBF national planning officer David Coates. 'But we want clearer guidance on the local authorities' responsibility in identifying contaminated land. What we don't want are councils putting the onus on developers to ensure the land they propose to develop is not contaminated.'

The HBF also wants the the Government to give a clear commitment to fund any necessary remediation work.

'If the Government wants to deal with the legacy of contaminated land as development comes forward then they have to be prepared to fund the cost of remediation,' said Coates.

The Environment Bill is currently being considered by Commons Committee and should be given Royal Assent in July this year.

The Government has also commissioned the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) to produce 12 reports on contaminated land which are part funded by the DoE. The first will be launched at the International Land Regeneration Expo '95 on May 23.