Contaminated land

Newham has an industrial history which may have left land contaminated (polluted). If you own or want to develop land in the borough, you must check whether that land is contaminated to make sure it is safe for use. 

Contaminated land: our responsibilities 

Our Contaminated land strategy (PDF) sets out our responsibilities. We will: 

• Investigate areas of land which might be significantly contaminated  
• Arrange for the clean-up of seriously contaminated land 
• Make sure that old industrial land (brownfield sites) are safely brought back into use 
• Keep a register of sites declared as contaminated under Part IIa of the Environmental Protection Act 1990  
• Give information and advice to the public on land contamination 
• Provide reports on land contamination to developers and others.  

Contaminated land: information we hold 

Register of contamination 

You can use the register of sites declared as contaminated under Part IIa of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for free. Contact us to search the register. 

Environmental and geographical reports

We hold a database of environmental and geographical reports, which you can use in support of a planning application. If you wish to develop or buy land, we can supply a standard report which includes information on the subjects below. We charge for this service. 

• Summarised contaminated land site investigation reports
• Historical maps
• Geology
• Boreholes and wells
• Susceptibility to ground gas
• Water source protection zones
• Historical landfills
• Sites with Environmental Permits
• Risks from unexploded WW2 bombs and ammunition
• Areas close to railways which may be affected by noise and vibration 
• Radon status.

Fees for environmental reports 

For a written report investigating contaminated land at: 

The full fees and charges schedule for additional services is available upon request.