Contaminated land case study - Stockport

The gardens of two hundred homes on a housing estate in Stockport are to be tested for potential contamination.

The development in Edgeley is built on the site of the former Sykes and Co bleachworks, which is known to have used various chemicals during the bleaching process. The plant closed in the 1980s and subsequently the land was developed for housing but Stockport Council has no records to confirm whether the land was remediated before construction began.

With legislation now in place, local authorities have to identify and remove any contaminated land. As the site has not been examined since building work took place, a three-month testing programme will begin in July 2007, and householders have all received letters from the council's Environmental Health department asking for permission to take samples from their gardens.

Council officials are confident that no contamination will be found as Corporate Director for Environment and Economy Elaine McLean explained, "Currently we have no evidence that the land is contaminated, but there will be advice for residents if unacceptable contamination is found." Householders now face an anxious wait to discover what, if anything, lies in the land beneath their homes.

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