What lies beneath

The outcome of the first appeal against a remediation notice heard by the Secretary of State provides valuable learning points for developers and their advisers. 

A developer demolished buildings on a contaminated site it had bought, but did not redevelop it for a number of years. This resulted in chemicals that might otherwise have been removed being flushed deeper into the ground. The developer was held to be 55% liable for the subsequent contamination – running into millions of pounds. 

Wragge & Co's experts provide further guidance in light of this decision.