When discussing the need for a Preliminary Risk Assessment (aka Contaminated Land Assessment, aka Phase 1 Desk Study) with a client, they will often ask “do you really need to visit the site?”. It’s a fair question as this visit will add time and money to the process. But, whether the Preliminary Risk Assessment is to satisfy a planning condition or provide potential purchasers some confidence as to what they’re buying, a site-walkover can provide essential information. When Soilutions undertake a site-walkover, we’re conscious that we are acting as trained and experienced eyes for anyone reading our subsequent report. We hope that a Contaminated Land Officer or financier will trust our “eyes” and have confidence that we’ve spotted any evidence of current or historic contamination, or similarly, gain some comfort if our site-walkover highlighted nothing of concern.
Of course, the walkover is only one line of evidence used in a complete Preliminary Risk Assessment, but without one the following may have remained as unknowns:
We’re always pragmatic regarding the need for a walkover and don’t always undertake them if there is a good reason not to, reasons may include:
- an isolated greenfield site where preparatory groundworks have already been undertaken or
- a site with known contamination where a Phase 2 Site Investigation will inevitably be required
So, in response to the oft asked “do you really need to visit the site?”, we’d suggest “yes, probably”. As always, we’re happy to discuss any potential assessment and agree the best approach to meet client needs.
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Phase 1 Desk Studies / Preliminary Risk Assessments
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