Pollution Control - Contaminated Land

Some land in this country has been contaminated in the past by industries such as:

gasworks
tanneries
chemical works
landfills

These are often called brownfield sites. Such sites can be a problem for two reasons:

There may be harmful substances in, on or under the land
Water pollution might be caused by substances at the site

However, brownfield sites do not generally cause a problem unless they are redeveloped for a different use. The approval of an application for redevelopment of these sites will only be granted on condition that the contamination is cleaned up to a standard that makes it suitable for the new use of the land.

If you own or occupy contaminated land now, or you did in the past, you may be responsible for cleaning up the pollution. You may still be responsible for cleaning up the pollution after you have sold the land.

The council:

publishes a Contaminated Land Strategy, which says how it will find contaminated sites in its area
carries out inspections of land that may be contaminated
finds out who is responsible for putting right the contamination and discusses the problem with them
formally declares land contaminated
agrees the necessary action and makes sure it is done
keeps a Public Register of contaminated land sites, the action that was required to put the problem right and any legal action that has been taken.

In some cases the Environment Agency may take over the regulation of a site from the council, once it has been declared as 'contaminated land'.

For more information about contaminated land, please contact the Pollution Control section of the Environmental Services Directorate using the Contact Information details listed below.

Contact Information

Telephone: 0161 770 4502
Fax: 0161 770 3444
E-mail: environmentalhealth@oldham.gov.uk
Address: Pollution Control, Environmental Health, Chadderton Town Hall, Middleton Road, Chadderton, Oldham OL9 6PP