Contaminated land & historic landfill

Land that was once used for industry, fuel storage or waste disposal can leave contamination behind, which matters for health, for lending, and for what you can safely build. A screening gives an early, open-data indication of former waste land use near a property — a prompt to investigate further, not a verdict on any individual site.

How we report it

We report whether any open contaminated-land determination is recorded for the property, and we identify the nearest historic landfill with its distance, waste types and licensed dates where available. A landfill several hundred metres away, well separated from the site, is very different from one on the boundary — distance and context are what matter, and we give you both.

What a full appraisal adds

Open data only captures formally recorded landfill and determinations. A full contaminated-land appraisal — the kind commissioned during conveyancing or development — also examines historical Ordnance Survey mapping, trade directories and permits to reconstruct what a site was actually used for over the past century. That is a licensed commercial product (from providers such as Groundsure or Landmark) and sits beyond an open-data screen.

What it means for you

If nothing is recorded and the nearest landfill is well separated, contamination is a low concern for a standard home. If a former industrial use, petrol station or landfill is close by, or you are buying a plot for development, an environmental search or Phase 1 desk study is the sensible next step — and may be required by a lender or the planning authority.