As much as a quarter of Nottingham’s land could be contaminated, according to research by the council.
John Bonham, Nottingham’s pollution control manager, believes that up to 1,867.5ha (4,615 acre) in the city could be adversely affected by contamination.
Bonham explained: “We’re at the preliminary stages of our environmental audit but initial findings have led us to believe that 25% of land in Nottingham has been contaminated by industrial activity.”
But Nottingham’s agents were quick to dampen down concern that these findings could damage development opportunities in and around the city.
Nick Ebbs of Innes England said: “This figure is a gross exaggeration and fails to give the true picture. It’s important to retain a sense of proportion and recognise huge differences in the types of pollution which exist.
“For instance, a piece of land could be perfectly fine other than having some diesel spillage on a small part of it. Does this make the whole site contaminated?”
Richard Pike of Drivers Jonas said: “It’s not good news. It means developers might think twice about launching a scheme here if they think the place is contaminated. Having said that, Nottingham is like many industrial towns and a the fact that the council seem to be acting so quickly might help us in the long run.
EGi News 04/10/96
