What is it and how we deal with it.

Bristol has a strong, industrial heritage which means that some land may have been contaminated by old industrial uses. This could cause harm to human health or the environment.

Sites such as former factories, mines, steelworks, refineries and landfills could be affected.

Contaminated land is generally described as land polluted by:

  • heavy metals
  • oils and tars
  • chemical substances and preparations
  • gases

We:

  • inspect land in the city to identify any that is contaminated and prioritise any level of risk from contamination
  • keep a contaminated land register, it currently has no entries
  • advise on development of land
  • respond to pollution incidents

Review service

We offer a review service to assess potential contamination based on land information we hold.

We offer 2 types of review: a letter or an environmental report.

Letter

A letter contains research and the contamination status of the property address. This will usually be enough for conveyancing or a property purchase.

A letter costs £77.89 and usually takes 20 working days to prepare.

For large sites, such as trading estates, contact us for a quote. 

Environmental report

An environmental report contains:

  • historic maps
  • a description of known historical industry
  • any known contamination issues within 250 metres of the property

An environmental report costs £166.45 and usually takes 20 working days to prepare.

For large sites, such as trading estates, contact us for a quote. 

Request a review

Fill in our online form to request a letter or environmental report review.

We'll ask you to upload:

  • a plan of the site
  • the environmental conveyancing report, if you have it

We'll send you an invoice for payment when we send you the review.

Request a contaminated land review

Land development

If youre developing or buying land its your responsibility to investigate and deal with any land contamination issues. See land contamination for developers.

Pollution incidents

Please report any pollution incidents, such as leaks and spills, to our customer service centre, 0117 922 2500 option 3.

Elsewhere on the web

Contact information

Public Protection (Pollution)

Bristol City Council

City Hall

College Green

BS1 5QR

Email: pollution@bristol.gov.uk
Phone: 0117 922 2500 option 3