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Land contamination: technical guidance

Dealing with land contamination to help make the environment clean and safe.

Updates to this page

From:
Environment Agency
Published:
27 May 2014
Last updated:
13 May 2026
Show all updates

  1. Added 'MCERTS: performance standard for rapid measurement techniques for the chemical testing of soil' to 'Soil monitoring performance standards' group.

  2. Added links to guidance about use of the planning system; Part 2A contaminated land; regulatory controls; producing a H5 site condition report; risks to groundwater; risks to ecological receptors; risks from ground gases and vapours; soil monitoring performance standards; radioactive contaminated land; Environmental Damage Regulations; and safe use of potentially contaminated residential land, gardens and allotments.

  3. Added Land contamination risk management (LCRM) to this collection.

  4. Some documents from the 1990s which aren't used now have been withdrawn. The collection is now grouped more clearly and the messaging has been removed from this collection because all of the important information is now in https://www.gov.uk/guidance/land-contamination-risk-management which has been brought into this collection.

  5. Added link to contaminated land capital projects forms.

  6. Linked to additional publications.

  7. First published.

Land contamination can harm:

  • human health
  • drinking water supplies, groundwater and surface water
  • soils
  • ecosystems including wildlife, animals and wetlands
  • property

It can also affect the current and future land use.

Dealing with land contamination helps make the environment clean and safe. Through regeneration it can:

  • enhance the health and wellbeing of all
  • add to the economic, ecological and amenity value of the area

Use a risk based approach

Land contamination risk management (LCRM) uses a risk based approach to managing the risks from land  contamination.

Use the planning system

Most land contamination can be dealt with through the planning system.

Check the guidance on why do you need to know about land contamination on the Planning Portal.

Use this guidance if you are proposing a new development.

Part 2A contaminated land

Use this guidance if you are a local authority determining contaminated land or your land has been determined as such.

Part 2A contaminated land reports

For reports showing progress on dealing with contaminated land in England and Wales.

Radioactive contaminated land management

Check regulatory controls

Environmental permitting: H5 site condition report

Use this guidance for permitted sites that need to produce a site condition report where land contamination may be present.

Land contamination and groundwater protection

See section J on land contamination in the Environment Agency’s approach to groundwater protection.

Groundwater: deal with risks

You can use the ‘ConSim’ tool to assess the risk that’s posed to groundwater by leaching contaminants. Get the ConSim software.

Human health: deal with risks

Find out about category 4 screening levels (C4SL) in Defra’s research project Development of Category 4 Screening Levels for assessment of land affected by contamination - SP1010.

Ecological receptors: deal with risks

Ground gases and vapours: deal with risks

See the gas protection verification accreditation scheme on the CL:AIRE website.

And see the section on ground gases and vapours in LCRM: Stage 1 risk assessment.

Potentially contaminated residential land, gardens and allotments: safe use

Soil monitoring performance standards

See the section on chemical testing of soils in LCRM: Stage 1 risk assessment.

Environmental damage regulations

This guidance aims to provide help for those seeking to better understand the requirements and practical application of the regulations.

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