Permit Site Assessment & Environmental Monitoring

A Baseline Site Investigation may be required by the environmental regulators to establish the baseline conditions of land before permitted operations take place. These investigations are targeted to assess areas of a facility which are considered likely to pose a pollution risk to the environment, and generally comprise obtaining soil and groundwater samples to provide baseline concentrations to inform a statement of Site Condition. The soil and groundwater measurements obtained from a Baseline Site Investigation are used throughout the lifetime of a Permit and at Surrender (where applicable) to identify if the land condition has been affected by permitted operations.

It is common for older facilities to not have a baseline site investigation. As such, a baseline site investigation may be required to provide information on the Site Condition at the time of future Permit Variations. Alternatively, if you are looking to carry out a Site Surrender but baseline soil and groundwater measurements are not available, then our team can carry out a Permit Surrender Site Investigation and review available environmental and historical records for the facility to establish if the permitted operations may have affected the land condition.

A Permit Surrender Site Investigation is required at the time of Surrender to identify if the land condition has been affected by permitted operations. These investigations are targeted to assess areas of a facility which are considered likely to pose a pollution risk to the environment, and generally comprise obtaining soil and groundwater samples to inform the Site Condition at the time of Surrender.

A review of the internal and external integrity of hardstanding and containment measures for chemical and tank storage may be required periodically throughout the lifetime of a Permit. This risk assessment considers the condition of hardstanding and containment measures for chemical and tank storage and is used to establish the likelihood of pollution if a spill or leak occurred. Our specialists provide Surface Containment and Integrity Risk Assessments which consider the likelihood of risk from pollution to land condition based on a review of the current surface conditions and containment measures in place at a facility, and we can advise on suitable mitigation measures and/or repairs where required.

The need for ongoing environmental monitoring (including soil and groundwater monitoring) for a facility is detailed in the Permit requirements.

We can carry out a Systematic Assessment to find out whether your facility needs ongoing site assessment to meet Permit conditions.