The environmental setting, current industrial activities and the industrial legacy of an area can all have a detrimental effect on the value of a property and the quality of life experienced by the residents of the area. Do you know if a property has been affected by a pollution incident?
Why is it important to know about the presence of historical landfilling?
Landfill sites were originally informal tips used by local authorities or industry for the uncontrolled disposal of waste from the local area directly into holes in the ground. As urban sites became more and more scarce, larger landfills were developed, many within former quarries, towards the edge of towns and cities which accepted waste from numerous sources. Currently there are nearly 21,000 historical landfill sites recorded by the Environment Agency through out England and Wales.
The range of contaminants resulting from landfilling depends on the type of waste deposited and any control measures installed. Putrescible waste generates gas, as decomposition takes place, which can seep through cracks and permeable materials underground, enter houses and workplaces and gradually build up to dangerous levels. Toxic substances created during the decomposition of the waste material can also be washed into sources for drinking water supplies and onto land.
Landfill Gas
Landfill gas is predominantly made up of methane and carbon dioxide but other harmful gases may also be produced depending on the materials present in the tip. Methane is highly flammable and, in certain concentrations, presents a risk of explosion while carbon dioxide is an asphyxiant and presents a risk to the health of building occupants. Prior to 1974 all such landfilling activities were unlicensed and any areas of land backfilled prior to this time are unlikely to have any engineered measures to control leachates and gas generation and may contain all manner of waste types.
Further concern has also been raised with regard to landfills and housing as there are studies, particularly in developed countries, which have shown a correlation between the proximity to landfill sites and birth defects.
Current Landfills
If you intend to purchase a property it is important for you to check whether your intended property is located on or near a current or former landfill site. Landfill sites are associated with a number of problems:
- Decaying toxic matter can leach into neigbouring areas and lead to negative effects on human health.
- Noise pollution.
- Pests such as rats.
- Dust.
- Visually unpleasant.
Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC)
The IPPC directive is concerned with releases to air, land and water (including discharges to sewers) from industrial activities. The green light report will tell you whether any such activities are present within a 50 metre radius of any given property in England and Wales.
Waste Management Licenses
A waste management Licence is a legal document issued by the Environment Agency. A waste management licence authorises the treatment, keeping or disposal of waste either in or on land. The Green light report will tell you if any Waste Management Licenses are present within 50 metres of your chosen property. Research undertaken by the Cambridge School of Economics has highlighted that being close to a premises with a WML reduces the value of a property.
In 2007 Waste Management Facilities were responsible for two thirds of all significant air pollution incidents, and just over a quarter of all serious land pollution incidents.
You don’t need to take the risk of a unknowingly buying a property only to find out that it is emitting waste emissions to the air, land or local water course. Buy a greenlight report to confirm that no such facilities are located in the vicinity of your property.
Pollution Incidents
The green light report will provide you with information of any substantiated pollution incidents which have occurred in the locality of your property. A pollution incident can occur to either land, air or water and are ranked according to severity from a category 1 (major) through to a category 3 (no impact).
If the property you are interested has a cesspit or is heated by oil on occasions these have been known to leak causing damage to ground water, rivers and streams. If you find a pollution incident on or near you your property you will need to have a Chartered Environmental Surveyor carry out further investigations.
It is not just pollution arising from your property. A pollution can migrate either through the strata of the underlying rock, ground water or surface water. A gallon of water will contaminate and acre of water. Contaminants from a pollution incident some distance from a property can still have an impact. The greenlight report will give you peace of mind by telling you if any Environment Agency recorded pollution incidents have occurred on or within 50 metres of a property.
Historical use
Wilbourn Associates are the leading practice of Chartered Environmental Surveyors in the country. Since being formed in 1993, Wilbourn Associates have built up a considerable reputation for providing environmental risk opinions for property with a particular specialism in contaminated land. Over the last 16 years Wilbourn Associates have commented on many thousands of properties affected by historical land use. The experts at Wilbourn Associates will examine whether your property is close to a potential source of contamination upon which they have commented on in the past.
Is your property of one of the 780 thousand properties effected contaminated land?
Wilbourn Associates are regulated by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
The Greenlight Report
The GreenLight Report will alert you to the presence of the above environmental considerations within the vicinity of any given propety in England and Wales whether you are looking to purchase, sell or out of interest. Follow the links at the bottom of the page to register with green asap limited and begin to order your greenlight report.
