Preliminary Risk Assessment as required by Planning Dept.
Preliminary Risk Assessment as required by Planning Dept.
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Discussion

mickylee

Original Poster:

68 posts

238 months

Wednesday 20th April 2011
quotequote all
Can someone point me in the right direction. I am trying to discharge planning conditions and need a Preliminary Risk Assessment carrying out on the site. I am in Manchester and the plot in question is a very small back garden on which I intend to build a 2 bed bungalow. Anyone on here carry out these? Planning has been granted subject to discharging these conditions.

silverthorn2151

6,357 posts

203 months

Wednesday 20th April 2011
quotequote all
Preliminary risk assessment relating to what exactly? Not come accross that.

Can you let us have the full condition?

mickylee

Original Poster:

68 posts

238 months

Wednesday 20th April 2011
quotequote all
I've submitted an environmental report on the site dating to when the house was bought but they want something more.....

straight from the planning letter...

The submitted report provides useful information that can be included within a Preliminary Risk Assessment (PRA) however the Environmental Search does not constitute a PRA as required by Planning Policy Statement (23) PPS23. Factual information only has been provided. A PRA is an interpretive report which must include a site model which identifies any potential risks from contamination, risks to future site users must also be considered.

The term 'burning hoops' springs to mind

BRGV8S

251 posts

230 months

Wednesday 20th April 2011
quotequote all
Had a similar condition on a site for new build. Basicly they want the history of the site to show its past use so they can assess any risk posed to the new build.

Discharge the condition by getting past OS maps back to the early 1800's which showed that apart from the house / street the garden area had never been built on

Hope that helps.

RonJohnson

341 posts

195 months

Wednesday 20th April 2011
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Sounds like they're after a Phase 1 Contaminated Land Report (Deskstudy).

mk1fan

10,856 posts

249 months

Wednesday 20th April 2011
quotequote all
Sounds like the 'PRA' is their document and you need to provide a site investigation report as above.

mike325112

1,074 posts

208 months

Wednesday 20th April 2011
quotequote all
mk1fan said:
Sounds like the 'PRA' is their document and you need to provide a site investigation report as above.
Phase 1 desk study is not a site investigation. OP you might want to speak to a small geo-environmental consultantcy, should cost you less than say £1500

Evo141n

274 posts

184 months

Wednesday 20th April 2011
quotequote all
These folk should be able to supply you with one:

http://www.envirocheck.co.uk/

mk1fan

10,856 posts

249 months

Wednesday 20th April 2011
quotequote all
mike325112 said:
Phase 1 desk study is not a site investigation. OP you might want to speak to a small geo-environmental consultantcy, should cost you less than say £1500
'site investigation' informally as in investigating the history of the site as ref'd by the post above mine (as I stated). As opposed to a formal 'Site Investivation' including sample taking to establish actual ground conditions.

rolleyes

mickylee

Original Poster:

68 posts

238 months

Wednesday 20th April 2011
quotequote all
Thnaks for everyones input. A bit more research and your comments have given me a better idea of what's needed. Anyone on here do these reports and would like to quote? I already have an environmental report running to 20 odd pages which from what I gather covers some of the leg work involved.

mike325112

1,074 posts

208 months

Wednesday 20th April 2011
quotequote all
mk1fan said:
'site investigation' informally as in investigating the history of the site as ref'd by the post above mine (as I stated). As opposed to a formal 'Site Investivation' including sample taking to establish actual ground conditions.

rolleyes
Thats a desk study! rolleyes

Dr_Rick

1,713 posts

272 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
quotequote all
Evo141n said:
These folk should be able to supply you with one:

http://www.envirocheck.co.uk/
We use these guys at work (well our Geo-Environmental group do).

Dr Rick

herewego

8,814 posts

237 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
quotequote all
If you don't know precisely what the planning office wants then I think you should ask them rather than waste money on reports that may not be relevant.

MOTORVATOR

7,488 posts

271 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
quotequote all
mike325112 said:
mk1fan said:
'site investigation' informally as in investigating the history of the site as ref'd by the post above mine (as I stated). As opposed to a formal 'Site Investivation' including sample taking to establish actual ground conditions.

rolleyes
Thats a desk study! rolleyes
Or does a desktop ground investigation form part of phase 1 of the site investigation.

Pistonheads - pedantry matters. :handbag smiley:

mike325112

1,074 posts

208 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
quotequote all
MOTORVATOR said:
Or does a desktop ground investigation form part of phase 1 of the site investigation.

Pistonheads - pedantry matters. :handbag smiley:
I was going to try to out pedant you but looking up where this is stated I realised I could actually help the OP so decided against it.

OP Look up CLR11 on google it will direct you to the EA document where a PRA is outlined and hopefully direct you as to what to do!

MOTORVATOR

7,488 posts

271 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
quotequote all
mike325112 said:
I was going to try to out pedant you but looking up where this is stated I realised I could actually help the OP so decided against it.
Anything touched by Prescott and we could play that game all day. laugh

OP, I would firstly be asking the LA why they felt it appropriate to utilise PPS23 on this site in the first place.

If as you say it's a back garden development they shouldn't really be applying it unless they are aware of an issue that has prompted them.

It's not the case that LA's are meant to view every piece of land as contaminated and unfit for use until you prove otherwise. But they may well have valid reasoning and it helps to know that beforehand.

mickylee

Original Poster:

68 posts

238 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
quotequote all
MOTORVATOR said:
Anything touched by Prescott and we could play that game all day. laugh

OP, I would firstly be asking the LA why they felt it appropriate to utilise PPS23 on this site in the first place.

If as you say it's a back garden development they shouldn't really be applying it unless they are aware of an issue that has prompted them.

It's not the case that LA's are meant to view every piece of land as contaminated and unfit for use until you prove otherwise. But they may well have valid reasoning and it helps to know that beforehand.
MOTORVATOR, I have suspicions that they've approved this development 'under protest' and they are applying every bit of legislation possible to make it difficult. I've not even mentioned their request for a tree survey by a qualified Arboricultural Consultant to BS5837 2005

Edited by mickylee on Thursday 21st April 21:07

MOTORVATOR

7,488 posts

271 months

Thursday 21st April 2011
quotequote all
mickylee said:
MOTORVATOR said:
Anything touched by Prescott and we could play that game all day. laugh

OP, I would firstly be asking the LA why they felt it appropriate to utilise PPS23 on this site in the first place.

If as you say it's a back garden development they shouldn't really be applying it unless they are aware of an issue that has prompted them.

It's not the case that LA's are meant to view every piece of land as contaminated and unfit for use until you prove otherwise. But they may well have valid reasoning and it helps to know that beforehand.
MOTORVATOR, I have suspicions that they've approved this development 'under protest' and they are applying every bit of legislation possible to make it difficult.
All the more reason for you to ask for scoping assistance. If they have knowledge of something in terms of contamination they would have had a requirement to add the property to the part 2A register which your solicitor should have picked up. Truth is not one LA managed to do it thoroughly.

I'd say ask for the justification for PPS23 consideration first before instructing soils engineers. A planner will give full disclosure as they would not want to leave themselves open.

My bet is not that they are being awkward but rather some offsite issues or historic use that they are aware of.

Si 330

1,306 posts

233 months

Friday 22nd April 2011
quotequote all
I have done phase ones before. First you buy envirocheck for site around 375 this gives the history of the site and surrounding area. You are looking for landfill, mines, springs etc. Then the report is written and a site walk over, which would be about 550.