Investigations of the above site by the Environment Agency on behalf of Ashfield District Council have now been completed.

The Council is the principle regulator under contaminated land legislation with regards to potentially contaminated land sites within the district.

Consequently, the Council has in place a strategy to identify potential contaminated land in the district, and is responsible for deciding whether land is “contaminated land” as defined by the law.

Having completed their investigations, the Environment Agency has informed the Council that there are no risks to human health from the site. The investigation has, however, identified a number of pollutants that are polluting the groundwater deep beneath a section of the site between Watnall Road and Garden Road.

These pollutants are deep within the fill materials on the site and there is no indication that any polluted groundwater is currently able to come into human contact.

The Environment Agency has confirmed that these sections of land meet the legal definition of contaminated land and there is no suggestion that this pollution of groundwater is posing any risk to human health.

In accordance with Government guidance and the conclusions of the Environment Agency in respect of the above sections of the site, the Council has made a formal determination that this is contaminated land.

The Council will now request that the Environment agency accept the site as a Special Site. Once accepted by the Environment Agency, they will become the Enforcing Authority under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. As such, all future management and decision making regarding land condition would then be carried out by the Environment Agency.

As will all previous investigations, any future investigation or other necessary works would be financed using Government funding made available by Defra.