Environmental Permits for waste activities: Not a load of rubbish
Certain facilities that use, recycle, treat, store or dispose of waste or mining waste may require an Environmental Permit. If a waste operation is carried out without a permit when they should, or there is a breach in a permit conditions the Environment Agency (EA), Natural Resource Wales (NRW) and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency […]
Living and breathing contamination
The Environment Agency estimate that around 300,000 hectares of land in England and Wales is affected, to some extent, by industrial contamination. In areas where space is at a premium, old industrial sites are often reclaimed for housing. While it is great that more new houses are being constructed, it is important for home buyers […]
Screening Search Report
The Groundsure Screening Search report provides an overview of the environmental risks relating to commercial properties, high value residential properties and those with more than five hectares of land. The Groundsure Screening Search report includes detailed environmental data on contaminated land, flood risk, ground stability and geological hazards. The data is reviewed and a professional […]
“Misinformation is as big a risk as knotweed itself” say plant experts
Senior figures from the Japanese knotweed remediation industry have called for greater transparency, as the UK enters “epidemic” risk levels and property sellers, agents, advisors and insurers find themselves liable. The invasive plant, whose rapid growth can destroy man-made and natural structures in its path, threatens billions of pounds’ worth of property transactions every year, […]
Environmental searches: a simple solution to the complex issue of flood risk
In June, we witnessed flash flooding on an almost biblical scale. In parts of Southern England, cars were caught in rising floodwaters and businesses were forced to close as almost a month’s worth of rainfall fell in just one hour. There are many common misconceptions around flood risk. When we think of flooding, there’s a […]
Agricultural Diseases
This is the third instalment in a series of blog posts which will identify and evaluate the typical environmental impacts associated with day to day farm processes. Recent Groundsure Agricultural blogs on slurry and sheep dipping have looked at a range of issues facing agricultural workers – from environmental implications of sheep dips and slurry […]
Invitation to Free Webinar on Flooding
Pali, in conjunction with Groundsure, would like to invite you to join their free webinar on flooding which is taking place tomorrow.
Is there a hole in your conveyancing searches?
Reports of sinkholes and subsidence have increased over the last couple of years with more instances of voids opening up near homes; a recent example includes a 30ft sinkhole opening up last month in Carmarthen, South Wales due to historic lead mining and another 50ft sink hole which was 6ft wide opened up on Monday […]
Sustainable Drainage: a tightening regime requiring duty of care
The Flood and Water Management Act of 2010 sought to enshrine Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and national standards for drainage across both new and existing property. This was replaced by the National Planning Policy Framework in 2012, which has now established consistent rules for drainage on major developments. The National Policy states that for 10 […]
Bringing brownfield sites back to use. Remediation of contaminated land
This is the first instalment in a series of blog posts which will present different remediation technologies for cleaning up contaminated sites and examples of their implementation in the UK.
FCI to launch flood reports with new high-resolution 5 metre groundwater data
Future Climate Info (FCI), provider of residential and commercial Environmental and Flood Reports will be the first conveyancing search company to add JBA’s high-resolution 5 metre groundwater flood data to their reports in June 2016. The new groundwater data, which indicates the risk of flooding in every 5 metre square across the country, gives a […]
Understand new Guidance to protect your clients, warns leading drainage Barrister
Commercial lawyers gathered in the newly refurbished Salters’ Hall in Central London on 9th June to find about Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), their priority within the latest drainage guidance and the implications for their clients’ redevelopment sites. Chaired by Stuart Pearce, Managing Director of GeoSmart, the seminar was opened by Dr Paul Ellis, our Innovation […]
Avoiding the minefield of land contamination
Don’t be caught out by the new statutory guidance on land contamination. Thames Water Property Searches can advise you how to protect your client from unforeseen environmental liabilities. Local authorities now have new guidance on how they decide whether land is contaminated or not. The Contaminated Land Statutory Guidance 2012 has replaced the previous statutory […]
Birmingham Law Society announce Risk, Regulation and Due Diligence conference with Landmark
A conference on identifying and mitigating environmental risks is set to take place on the 15th September in Birmingham, organised by Landmark Information Group and the Birmingham law Society Speakers include the Head of Birmingham University’s law School and specialist on land based risk, Professor Robert Lee. Also speaking is His Honor Judge Peter Cooke, […]
GeoSmart launches SuDSmart Due Diligence Reports for Lawyers on Sustainable Drainage
Leading environmental information company supports lawyers’ Duty of Care with a unique report to alert land owners and developers to new drainage requirements
The impacts of the winter storms
December 2015 was the wettest, warmest December since records began in 1910, with temperatures 4.1oC above the 1981-2010 average (figure 1)1. Following the severe impacts of three successive storms, it’s imperative for anyone looking to purchase either residential or commercial property to thoroughly assess flood risk ahead of purchase. Storm Desmond hit at the beginning […]
Guidance on sustainable drainage systems published by Old Square Chambers
John Bates, a Barrister at Old Square Chambers has published a guidance note for solicitors, covering sustainable drainage systems. The note covers new planning policy changes in support of sustainable drainage systems, or “SuDS”. John Bates writes: “Government planning policy and planning decisions now include a presumption in favour of SuDS being used for all […]
Andy Crawshaw of Groundsure on historical mapping and the future of Land Registry
At Legalex this year, we interviewed Andy Crawshaw, a Strategic Account Manager at Brighton based environmental search provider Groundsure, who spoke about the importance of historical mapping. Andy spoke of the digitisation of data Groundsure undertook back in 2001 to provide the clearest and most accurate assessment of historical land use. He advised how activities […]
The future of FCI, an interview with Geoff Offen
Future Climate Info (FCI) speak with their Managing Director, Geoff Offen and discuss the past, present and future of the business and what benefits the system brings to users.
First fracking license in 5 years
Monday 23rd May saw the first fracking license to be granted in 5 years. North Yorkshire Councillors convened over multiple days to hear all sides of the story regarding Third Energy’s application to hydraulically fracture or ‘frac’ their KM8 well at Kirby Misperton in North Yorkshire. Hydraulic fracturing is a technique whereby water is injected […]
