Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that previously contaminated sewage works are adequately decontaminated when they are closed down and repurposed.

When dealing with land that may be affected by contamination, the planning system works alongside a number of other regimes including the contaminated land regime under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. We have underlined in national planning policy and guidance that the implications of contamination for a new development should be considered by the local planning authority to the extent that it is not addressed by other regimes. Planning decisions should ensure that a site is suitable for its new use taking account of arising from previous uses and any proposals for land remediation.