Documentation

The purpose of a Land Condition Record is to create an environmental logbook for land. They were introduced in response to the government's Urban Task Force identifying the benefits of greater consistency in handling information on land contamination. The Task Force recommended the introduction of a standardised document describing the condition of the land and stated that the purpose of this would be:

'To ensure that during the sale, purchase and redevelopment of land, all parties had access to the same data sets and could therefore develop some general agreement between them on the levels of risk associated with that particular site and that particular use.'

The Task Force's main recommendations were that the Land Condition Record:

• consists of available factual information or basic data relevant to land contamination;
• must be completed within a quality assurance system, including the use of accredited specialists in contaminated land when these become available;
• is to be voluntary and straightforward to complete and maintain; and
• should not include assessments of the implications of the information, for example, whether the land is suitable for use or whether pollutant linkages are present.