Contaminated land enquiries

If you would like to find out whether a particular property had a former land use that may potentially have caused some soil contamination, then please get in touch with the Council's Pollution Regulatory Team.

On written request, we are able to provide you with data extracted from our digitised historical ordnance survey maps. This data will show whether the site and a surrounding 250m had a previous land use that may have led to contamination. The current charge for this information is £153.10.

If you already hold some environmental information on a site, but require further specific information then the Council can provide a bespoke report for a reduced fee of £94.80. You will need to provide a detailed outline of the information required, incorporating any environmental information already held.

Contact us

If you would like either of the reports outlined above, please email the Pollution Regulatory Team ([email protected]) so we can register your case and provide a reference number which allows you to make payment. You can then pay for the search over the telephone by calling us on: 020 7361 3002.

Please note that a separate application must be made for each property. A scaled increase is applied to these charges for large sites or adjacent properties. It will take approximately ten working days to process your request. If it should take longer, we will let you know.

Public registers

The Department's four public registers hold other information that may be relevant to your enquiry

1. Part A register of processes designated for central control - Environment Protection Act 1990 (Section 2(4))
2. Part B register of processes designated for local control - Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Section 2(4))
3. Radioactive Substances Users register - Radioactive Substances Act 1993 (Section 7)
4. Contaminated Land register - Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Section 78R)

These registers are available for public inspection, free of charge, at our offices in Pembroke Road during normal working hours, and there are facilities for making copies. There is a charge for this service. Details from our Part B register can also be seen at Part B Register.

Alternatively, you can conduct a search of the local land charges register, after which, you will receive a response in writing. There are standard fees for this service. Your solicitor can also make these searches on your behalf.

For further information please contact your local land charges department on tel: 020 7361 3554

The Environment Agency also holds data on environmental information that you may find useful, for example locations of ‘discharge consents’, ‘abstraction licences’ and pollution incidents. To contact them, please call the general enquiries telephone number: 08708 506506, or visit the Environment Agency website.