Written question asked by Andy McDonald (Labour) on Wednesday, 8 March 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 March 2023 (named day). It was answered by Trudy Harrison (Conservative) on Monday, 13 March 2023 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Pollution: River Tees

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the report by the Chief Executive of the South Tees Development Corporation, published on 16 December 2021, whether the (a) Marine Management Organisation and (b) Environment Agency have undertaken investigations into the land-based excavations set out in paragraph 13 of that report; and whether those organisations have provided advice on the (i) potential toxicity of the materials excavated, (ii) remediation and destination of those materials and (iii) steps to help tackle any concerns.

Answer: The work referenced in the report by the Chief Executive of the South Tees Development Corporation, published on 16 December 2021, relates to the redevelopment of South Bank Quay. This work was set out and approved as part of a local authority planning permission, which would have specifically detailed the site remediation plans within a remediation strategy. The Environment Agency did not input into this planning process. This is because, using a risk based approach, this planning application was screened out of the Environment Agency’s Planning Screening Tool. Under the Planning Regime, it is the responsibility of the Local Planning Authority to ensure that issues such as land contamination and risks to controlled waters are addressed appropriately by the developer. This includes ensuring that remediation activities if required are undertaken by the developer and that there are no remaining unacceptable risks posed to the environment as part of the proposed development.

Secondary information