Waltham Forest is one of just twelve councils in the country that have not carried out a ground inspection on sites deemed to have a ‘high risk’ of toxic soil, reports Marco Marcelline

Suffield Hatch allotment in Chingford is believed to have a ‘high risk’ of being contaminated, Credit: Google Streetview

Land deemed to have a “high risk” of being contaminated with toxic chemicals has never been checked by Waltham Forest Council.

A total of 405 sites across the borough have been identified as “potentially” contaminated, while three sites have been flagged as having a “high risk” of being contaminated.

Of the three “high risk” parcels of land, one is used for housing, a second is an allotment, and a third is green space near a housing development.

Contaminated land is a site that might have been polluted with heavy metals or chemicals from its previous use as an old factory, power station, railway line, petrol station or landfill site.

The revelation comes after the BBC’s Shared Data Unit sent freedom of information requests about contaminated land handling to all UK local authorities.

The BBC found that of 13,093 potentially toxic sites that councils have identified as high risk, only 1,465 have been inspected.

Waltham Forest was one of just twelve councils that stated they had not carried out a ground inspection on any of their high risk sites since 2000.

Health experts say a lack of soil testing could leave people at risk from contaminants including lead, arsenic and asbestos.

Lead poisoning can cause developmental delays, brain damage, and even death, while arsenic, in its inorganic form, poses significant health risks, including cancer, skin lesions, and liver damage.

A Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) report has said most sites posing health risks are contaminated by chemicals like arsenic, lead, nickel, chromium, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in soil or water.

In 2000, nascent government legislation required councils to list all potential contaminated sites, and inspect the high-risk ones to make sure people and property are not at risk.

The Echo understands the three “high risk” sites are Oliver Close in Leyton, Suffield Hatch Allotments in Chingford, and green space off Riverhead Close in Walthamstow.

From 1967 until 1995, Oliver Close was home to five 20-storey tower blocks. Waltham Forest demolished the towers individually starting with the first in 1995, with the last remaining tower coming down in 2001.

The Oliver Close Estate pictured in 1988. Since redeveloped, it has been earmarked by the council as a “high risk” site, Credit: Miles Glendinning

330 Peabody Trust managed homes have been built on the site since, with the council stating it is “likely” that the land was remediated by developers during construction.

The Echo understands that residents living on the Oliver Close Estate before it was demolished were never told that site had a “high risk” of being contaminated.

Council deputy leader and cabinet member for housing Ahsan Khan, said: “Waltham Forest takes a risk-based approach to land that has a higher risk of contamination due to historical uses, and always acts according to statutory guidance.

“It is important to note that sites designated as high-risk are not necessarily contaminated, but that there is a higher risk due to their previous usage.”

A council spokesperson told the Echo it had decided a detailed investigation of each site would be a “disproportionate approach” to take.

This decision was made after weighing up the sites’ contamination risk and the financial costs of an investigation, the spokesperson added.

The council says it has no current plans to inspect any of the sites, though this will be “kept under review” in light of any new information.

Land off Riverhead Close (pictured) was determined to have a ‘high risk’ of being toxic, Credit: Google Streetview

Between 2000 and 2014, councils had the ability to apply for funding to test and clean up contaminated land. The coalition government however cut funding access, meaning councils have had to pay for testing and remediation themselves since 2014. In the same year, Defra issued guidance urging councils to fix sites through the planning system and via private developers.

Planning laws cover contamination issues for people living in property constructed after 2000.

A Defra spokesperson said: “Local authorities have a statutory duty to inspect potentially contaminated sites, require remediation, and maintain a public register of remediated land. Any risk to public health from contaminated land is a serious matter.

“That’s why we’ve recently commissioned the Environment Agency to produce a new state of contaminated land report, which will help provide the best possible baseline of data to measure future policies related to contaminated land against.”

Are you living near or on one of the “high risk” sites? Get in touch: [email protected]

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