Across the UK, developers are increasingly facing questions about emerging contaminants and how they fit within contaminated land risk assessment. While many projects still focus on traditional contaminants (hydrocarbons, metals, solvents, asbestos), there is growing awareness of newer chemical groups,

One of the most common “silent risks” on UK sites is asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) and asbestos-contaminated made ground. While asbestos surveys are essential for buildings, land contamination risks can also exist—particularly where demolition, refurbishment, or historic industrial activity is involved. This

Environmental risk is no longer just a planning issue—it is increasingly a finance and legal issue. Across the UK, lenders, investors, and insurers often expect evidence of environmental due diligence, particularly on brownfield, mixed-use, or conversion schemes. One of the

Across the UK, “unknown ground” remains one of the biggest causes of development risk. Even with good design, programmes can be derailed by late discovery of contamination, made ground, ground gas, or groundwater constraints. The fastest way to reduce that

The UK market is seeing strong demand for redevelopment and refurbishment of existing buildings—particularly where demolition is costly or where embodied carbon targets are a priority. However, redevelopment isn’t just about what is inside the building; it is also about

UK infrastructure investment—rail upgrades, road schemes, and wider regeneration corridors—often brings development opportunities around stations, junctions, and transport nodes. These sites can be commercially attractive, but they also commonly carry a legacy of contamination due to historic rail, fuel, industrial,

Flood risk and sustainable drainage (SuDS) are now central considerations in UK planning. Even where a site is not in a high flood zone, drainage design and infiltration proposals can trigger environmental scrutiny—particularly if there is a possibility of contamination

Across the UK, change-of-use projects are a major driver of development—particularly office-to-residential, retail-to-residential, and mixed-use conversions. These schemes can look straightforward on paper, but the environmental risk profile often changes dramatically once the end use becomes more sensitive. That is why

UK development is increasingly driven by the reuse of land: town-centre regeneration, brownfield housing delivery, mixed-use schemes, and the conversion of older commercial buildings. These are exactly the types of projects where historic land use can leave a legacy of

Across the UK, planning departments are under sustained pressure to process applications efficiently while still demonstrating robust environmental due diligence. Whether you’re delivering small residential infill, mixed-use conversions, or light industrial redevelopment, one thing has stayed consistent: if there is