Written question asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative) on Monday, 14 March 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 24 March 2005. It was answered by Elliot Morley (Labour) on Thursday, 24 March 2005 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions (a) she and (b) the Environment Agency have had with Corby Borough Council concerning the decontamination of the land formerly occupied by the British Steel ironworks at Corby.

Answer: Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions (a) she and (b) the Environment Agency have had with Corby borough council concerning the decontamination of the land formerly occupied by the British Steel ironworks at Corby. [222274] Mr. Morley: My officials have been in contact with Corby borough council over funding of intrusive investigations at various sites. Subsequently, the Environment Agency has been asked by the council under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to inspect on its behalf one site in the ironworks area, and other sites in the borough, as potential special sites. They are meeting to discuss this shortly. Investigations under Part IIA help to establish the level and nature of any risk to human health or the environment from land contamination, and may inform decisions about subsequent remediation. The Agency has also been consulted by the borough about several planning applications, as a statutory consultee under Town and Country Planning legislation for certain types of application. Such consultations enable the Agency to comment on risks to controlled waters in connection with development proposals.

Secondary information