The House Builders Federation has responded to a consultation document on the Environment Agency policy - Building Development on or within 250m of a landfill site.
The proposals are somewhat confusing as there is some doubt about obtaining planning permission on sites with waste management licences. There is a danger that this policy could result in delays to the development of brownfield sites because of difficulties with risk assessment. There is also a likelihood of property blight for properties not previously identified as near landfill sites. It is already difficult to surrender licences even for low risk sites so obtaining completion certificates for developments so affected may present problems. It is also suggested that where the Agency has no regulatory remit the technical assessment will be made by Local Authority planning staff and it is unclear as to whether they will receive training.
The full HBF response can be viewed through this link.