Recommendation 119

Liz Hart, Director of Hart Environmental Limited, told us that, for soil reuse plans, developers can fund an independent assessment by a qualified person who will confirm to the competent authority that a developer’s risk assessment is in order. 163 She suggested that similar approaches could be developed for other technical assessments. This could reduce the need for the Environment Agency and local planning authorities to undertake or contract assessment themselves. This could be particularly useful for activity undertaken by statutory body area teams outside the statutory requirements, such as reviewing land quality or groundwater issues. 164