Policy information sourced from the Epping Forest District Local Plan 2011-2033

DM21 Local Environmental Impacts, Pollution and Land Contamination

  • The Council will require that the residual local environmental impacts of all development proposals after mitigation do not lead to unacceptable impacts on the health, safety, wellbeing and amenity of existing and new users or occupiers of the development site, or the surrounding land. These potential impacts can include, but are not limited to, air and water (surface and groundwater) pollution, dust, noise, vibration, light pollution, odours, and fumes as well as land contamination.
  • The Council will:
    1. resist development that leads to unacceptable local environmental impacts, including, but not limited to, air pollution, noise and vibration, light pollution, odours, dust and land and water contamination;
    2. require that activities likely to generate pollution are located away from sensitive uses and receptors where possible, practical and economically feasible;
    3. require development proposals to mitigate and reduce to a minimum any adverse local environmental impacts and activities that may have wider cumulative effects;
    4. where there are unacceptable risks of contamination or land instability, require these to be properly and fully addressed through remediation. If remediation measures are not suitable then planning permission will be refused; and
    5. where necessary, apply planning conditions to reduce local environmental impacts on adjacent land uses to acceptable levels.

Land Contamination

  • The Council will expect the remediation of contaminated land through development. Potential contamination risks will need to be properly considered and adequately mitigated before development proceeds. To deliver this the Council will require development proposals on contaminated land:
    1. to be informed by a desktop study and preliminary risk assessment, including an assessment of the site’s history, potential contamination sources, pathways and receptors;
    2. where necessary to undertake a site investigation and detailed risk assessment in line with current best practice guidance, including where appropriate physical investigations, chemical testing and assessments of ground gas risks and risks to groundwater;
    3. where necessary to provide a remediation strategy that sets out how any identified risks from any assessment are going to be addressed. If remediation measures are not suitable then planning permission will be refused;
    4. where necessary to provide a long term maintenance and monitoring regime for the mitigation of any ongoing risk and identify the person/s responsible for the regime; (v) where necessary to provide a validation report once remediation has taken place, including evidence that demonstrates that risks from contamination have been controlled effectively; and
    5. to ensure that all above assessments and investigations are carried out by a competent person.

Construction and Demolition

  • The Council will seek to manage and limit environmental disturbances during construction and demolition as well as during excavations and construction of subterranean developments. To deliver this the Council requires the submission of Construction Management Statements for the following types of developments:
    1. all major developments;
    2. any basement developments;
    3. developments of sites in confined locations or near sensitive receptors; and
    4. if substantial demolition and/or excavation works are proposed.
  • The Council will support the use of sustainable design and construction techniques, including where appropriate, local or on-site sourcing of building materials to enable their use or recycling as close to the development site as possible. For existing buildings which are heritage assets, in considering whether sustainable construction requirements are practical, consideration should be given to Policies DM7 and DM8. Historic buildings dating pre-1919 are often of a traditional construction which performs differently, and not all types of sustainable construction would be appropriate in any alteration and extension of such buildings.

For more information please see the Epping Forest District Local Plan 2011-2033