Brownfield Funds Available for New Homes on Derelict Sites.
Brownfield Fund for Councils
Government Funds for Brownfield Sites
If you are a local authority looking to develop a derelict brownfield site we can help.
At Earth Environmental & Geotechnical we have extensive experience producing design solutions for successful brownfield land assessment and pragmatic remediation designs.
We provide an extensive range of services to assess the viability of development on Brownfield sites including:
- Phase 1 Desk Study
- Contaminated Land Assessments
- Ecology Surveys
- Invasive Species Surveys and Remediation
- Flood Risk Assessments
- Coal Mining Risk Assessments
- Material Management Plans specific to the Brownfield Land
- Surface Water Drainage Strategy SuDS
- Soil Waste Classification Service
Our Site Investigation Services are an essential step in understanding your development site and ground conditions.
Assessing viability for development of brownfield land
Understanding site viability is the first step when considering developing a brownfield site.
Toxic pollution from waste materials, industrial processes and chemical or fuel storage can leave residues for many years in both the underlying soils and groundwater.
Any contamination that currently exists on the site must be dealt with following the proper procedures. Our experienced team have worked at board level within several consultancy and remediation practices and have advised many local authorities, house builders, landowners, solicitors, and property consultants at any early stage in the site acquisition process on potential liabilities and development constraints.
If the land you are proposing to build on was used for industry in the past, it could contain contaminants, including:
- Asbestos
- Lead
- Fuel such as diesel or petrol
- Other chemicals
There could be substantial punitive costs for the disposal of contaminated soils, if not identified and managed at an early stage in the development process. Other factors all need to be considered including air quality, noise, impact of the development on drainage and surface water drainage.
The investigation, assessment and remediation of contaminated land requires an understanding of many different specialist disciplines that allow for a comprehensive and pragmatic development to proceed. These disciplines include geology, hydrogeology, toxicology, risk assessment, soil mechanics and of course an appreciation of the limitations of our understanding of the science and empirical modelling behind the derivation of soil guideline values and risk based remedial targets.
Many brownfield sites are located in convenient positions, providing much of the infrastructure needed for new homes, such as transport and utilities. Brownfield sites with detailed remediation designs can provide excellent opportunities to deliver aspirational programme of regeneration to meet the demand for new housing, and provide social and genuinely affordable homes while creating sustainable and attractive neighbourhoods.”
Government Funds for Brownfield Sites
The Government has launched a new fund to transform derelict and underused brownfield sites across England. From the 8th July – 19th August 2022 councils can apply for a share of the new £180 million Brownfield Land Release Fund 2, which will help to transform disused urban areas into 17,600 new homes and create around 54,000 jobs over the next 4 years.
The Government website details that an initial £40 million will be available to support local regeneration projects, releasing council land for around 4,000 new homes (and creating 12,400 jobs). The fund hopes to boost local economies and help thousands of young people and families into homeownership. The remaining £140 million of the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 will be made available to councils over the next 2 years.
The fund aims to support the transformation of small council-owned sites that have been previously developed, by funding small scale infrastructure and remediation work to enable the release of the land for new homes.
Looking to develop derelict Brownfield sites?
Brownfield sites are also known as previously-developed land. This is more closely defined as:“… land which is or was occupied by a permanent structure, including the curtilage of the developed land (although it should not be assumed that the whole of the curtilage should be developed) and any associated fixed surface infrastructure.”
Brownfield sites (including industrial premises, workshops, garages or petrol stations) can all be susceptible to contamination, so the identification and remediation of contamination needs to be considered. Detailed site investigation work is often required for brownfield sites to ensure that there is a robust risk assessment process and remediation strategy in place to transform these derelict sites into new homes.
Brownfield Land Release Fund 2
Regional Offices Throughout UK
We have regional offices throughout the UK and a team of experienced Engineers, Geologists, Applied Environmental Engineers, and Environmental Scientists
