The Radioactive Contaminated Land (Enabling Powers) (England) Regulations 2005

Regulation 2

SCHEDULE 1 Modification of Part 2A

Section 78A: Preliminary

1.—(1) Section 78A (preliminary) has effect with the following modifications.

(2) For subsection (2), substitute—

“(2) “Contaminated land” is any land which appears to the local authority in whose area it is situated to be in such a condition, by reason of substances in, on or under the land, that—

(a) harm is being caused; or

(b) there is a significant possibility of harm being caused;

and in determining whether any land appears to be such land, a local authority shall, subject to subsection (5) below, act in accordance with guidance issued by the Secretary of State in accordance with section 78YA below with respect to the manner in which that determination is to be made.”.

(3) For subsection (4), substitute—

“(4) “Harm” means lasting exposure to any person resulting from the after-effects of a radiological emergency, past practice or past work activity.”.

(4) For subsection (5), substitute—

“(5) The questions—

(a) whether harm is being caused; and

(b) whether the possibility of harm being caused is “significant”;

shall be determined in accordance with guidance issued for the purpose by the Secretary of State in accordance with section 78YA below.”.

(5) For subsection (6), substitute—

“(6) Without prejudice to the guidance that may be issued under subsection (5) above—

(a) guidance under paragraph (a) of that subsection may make provision for different degrees and descriptions of harm;

(b) guidance under paragraph (b) of that subsection may make provision for different degrees of possibility to be regarded as “significant” (or as not being “significant”) in relation to different descriptions of harm.”.

(6) For subsection (7), substitute—

“(7) “Remediation” means—

(a) the doing of anything for the purpose of assessing the condition of—

(i) the contaminated land in question; or

(ii) any land adjoining or adjacent to that land;

(b) the doing of any works, the carrying out of any operations or the taking of any steps in relation to any such land for the purpose—

(i) of preventing or minimising, or remedying or mitigating the effects of, any harm by reason of which the contaminated land is such land; or

(ii) of restoring the land to its former state; or

(c) the making of subsequent inspections from time to time for the purpose of keeping under review the condition of the land;

and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly.

(7A) For the purpose of paragraph (b) of subsection (7) above, “the doing of any works, the carrying out of any operations or the taking of any steps in relation to any such land” shall include ensuring that—

(a) any such area is demarcated;

(b) arrangements for the monitoring of the harm are made;

(c) any appropriate intervention is implemented; and

(d) access to or use of land or buildings situated in the demarcated area is regulated.”.

(7) Subsection (8) is omitted.

(8) In subsection (9)—

(a) omit the definition of “controlled waters”; and

(b) for the definition of “substance”, substitute—

““substance” means, whether in solid or liquid form or in the form of a gas or vapour, any substance which contains radionuclides which have resulted from the after-effects of a radiological emergency or which are or have been processed as part of a past practice or past work activity, but shall not include radon gas or the following radionuclides: Po-218, Pb-214, At-218, Bi-214, Rn-218, Po-214 and Tl-210;”.

Section 78B (Identification of contaminated land)

2.—(1) Section 78B (identification of contaminated land) has effect with the following modifications.

(2) For subsection (1), substitute—

“(1) Where a local authority considers that there are reasonable grounds for believing that any land may be contaminated, it shall cause the land to be inspected for the purpose of—

(a) identifying whether it is contaminated land; and

(b) enabling the authority to decide whether the land is land which is required to be designated as a special site.

(1A) The fact that substances have been or are present on the land shall not of itself be taken to be reasonable grounds for the purposes of subsection (1).”.

Section 78C (Identification and designation of special sites)

3.—(1) Section 78C (identification and designation of special sites) has effect with the following modifications.

(2) In subsection (10), for paragraphs (a) and (b), substitute—

“(a) whether land of the description in question appears to him to be land which is likely to be in such a condition, by reason of substances in, on or under the land that serious harm would or might be caused; or

(b) whether the appropriate Agency is likely to have expertise in dealing with the kind of harm by reason of which land of the description in question is contaminated land.”.

Section 78E (Duty of enforcing authority to require remediation of contaminated land etc)

4.—(1) Section 78E (duty of enforcing authority to require remediation of contaminated land etc) has effect with the following modifications.

(2) For subsection (4), substitute—

“(4) Subject to subsection (4A), the only things by way of remediation which the enforcing authority may do, or require to be done, under or by virtue of this Part are things which it considers reasonable, having regard to—

(a) the cost which is likely to be involved; and

(b) the seriousness of the harm in question.

(4A) Where remediation includes an intervention, that part of the remediation which consists of an intervention may only be considered reasonable—

(a) where the reduction in detriment due to radiation is sufficient to justify any adverse effects and costs, including social costs, of the intervention; and

(b) where the form, scale and duration of the intervention is optimised.

(4B) For the purpose of subsection (4A), the form, scale and duration of the intervention shall be taken to be optimised if the benefit of the reduction in health detriment less the detriment associated with the intervention is maximised.”.

(3) In subsection (5), in paragraph (b), omit “, or waters are,”.

Section 78G (Grant of, and compensation for, rights of entry etc)

5.—(1) Section 78G (grant of, and compensation for, rights of entry etc) has effect with the following modifications.

(2) In subsection (2), for “any of the relevant land or waters”, substitute “any relevant land”.

(3) In subsection (4), omit “, or serious pollution of controlled waters,”.

(4) For subsection (7), substitute—

“(7) In this section, “relevant land” means—

(a) the contaminated land in question; or

(b) any land adjoining or adjacent to that land.”.