Contaminated land

Radon is a natural radioactive gas, which enters buildings from the ground where it is formed from the minute amounts of uranium that occur naturally in all rocks and soils.

Public register of contaminated land

This register contains details of sites determined as 'contaminated land' as defined by Section 78A (2) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. It does not contain details of potential contaminated sites or sites suspected to have contaminants in, on, or under them as a result of past uses. 

There are currently two entries in the public register of contaminated land:

Site name Parish Date of entry on register
Tuddenham St Martin 18/01/2006
Little Bealings 25/08/2011

Guidance notes for developments on land which is potentially contaminated or where the proposed end use is sensitive can be found in our contaminated land advice note.

 

The GOV.UK website also has more information on contaminated land.

Radon affected areas

Radon is a natural radioactive gas, which enters buildings from the ground where it is formed from the minute amounts of uranium that occur naturally in all rocks and soils.

Radon levels indoors depend on the concentration of radon in the ground, details of construction of the house, and the way the house is heated and ventilated.

Levels can vary widely between apparently identical houses. The only way to find out whether there is a high level in a particular house is to measure it.

Indoor radon has been found to be the second most important cause of lung cancer after smoking. Although levels in most homes are low, the concentrations exceed the action level of 200 Becquerels per cubic metre in a significant number of homes. At this level it is recommended that remedial action is taken to reduce radon levels.

There are two types of radon area in the district; a 'radon affected area', where more than 1% of homes are estimated to have levels of radon at or above the radon action level, and a 'radon protection area', where radon protection measures are required in new and altered buildings.

Advice for homeowners, indicative maps and radon risk reports

More information is available from the UKradon website which is run by the British Geological Survey and the Health Protection Agency:

The website offers the following online services:

Radon protection measures in new and existing buildings

The Building Research Establishment's (BRE) radon website has advice on how to reduce radon levels in buildings, offers guidance on the Building Regulations requirements for protecting new buildings in radon affected areas and has indicative maps defining areas where radon protective measures may be required in new buildings and extensions to existing buildings.