The Significance of Unifying Non-Integrated Information on Contaminated Land and Risks

Like several countries with industrial history and heritage, the risks associated with contaminated land (CL) are a widespread challenge in the United Kingdom (UK). Contaminated land and their risks are managed by local authorities, although consultancy is often sought from non-governmental organisations. There is a legal requirement for the relevant local authority to hold data on the status of any contaminated land and associated risks within their geographical remit. However, minimal legislation exists regarding the standardisation of documentation, including records of contaminated site management and the associated administrative procedures. Another fundamental challenge is that the data concerning contaminated land is non-integrated. This is because hundreds of different local authorities up and down the country manage sites in a non-uniform manner. The same is the case in England and Wales, which is the geographical remit of this study. For instance, there are variations in format, type of data, presentation of data, procedures to access the data (e.g., by environmental consultants), quality of data, and even quantity of data. To overcome such issues presented by the lack of integration, there is a substantial need for unification and standardisation at all scales. This study not only presents an account of aforesaid issues and their adverse implications but also outlines innovative models that can enhance the integration, unification, simplification, and standardisation of data/information management from local authorities through to a national level. These conceptual models involve the application of information matrices and GIS. Such models, when fully developed in future, can enhance the environmental communication and coordination between the diverse stakeholders involved in each contaminated site scenario, particularly including environmental regulators e.g., the Environment Agency or Natural Resources Wales, environmental consultants, and local authorities; similarly other associated stakeholders such as developers, the construction industry and land reclamation specialists.