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Surveyors attack brownfield advice
00:00 28 Oct 1998
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by Kathy Watson
New contaminated land guidelines produced by the Kent area office of the Environment Agency have triggered protests from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors as "undemocratic and costly to implement."
Before construction work can start the local authority is now advised to approve every stage, from desktop assessment and strategy through to sampling and remediation proposals.
Work is to be carried out under a "quality assurance scheme," says the guidelines. Any additional contamination found must be dealt with via the same procedures.
RICS spokesman, Philip Wilbourn claimed the new guidelines could stifle development on contaminated land: "We are greatly concerned that the Environment Agency appears to be introducing a major change in planning procedures without any of the public consultation that could ordinarily be expected."
He also believes that the Environment Agency has no right to recommend quality assurance contractors.
New contaminated land guidelines produced by the Kent area office of the Environment Agency have triggered protests from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors as "undemocratic and costly to implement."
Before construction work can start the local authority is now advised to approve every stage, from desktop assessment and strategy through to sampling and remediation proposals.
Work is to be carried out under a "quality assurance scheme," says the guidelines. Any additional contamination found must be dealt with via the same procedures.
RICS spokesman, Philip Wilbourn claimed the new guidelines could stifle development on contaminated land: "We are greatly concerned that the Environment Agency appears to be introducing a major change in planning procedures without any of the public consultation that could ordinarily be expected."
He also believes that the Environment Agency has no right to recommend quality assurance contractors.
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