Contaminated land risk communication
With continued pressure to develop brownfield sites, and landlords finding out that some housing has been built on land that may be contaminated, it is important for development staff, housing managers and planners to understand how to communicate risks associated with contaminated land investigations.
The Environment Agency says: “Communicating about risk can be a challenging task. It is not difficult to find instances in which poor communication has had huge human and financial costs.”
This practical and informative workshop explores the background to land contamination issues, the public health concerns and how to communicate these to affected communities in a way that secures and retains their support.
Objectives
- To gain an appreciation of the contaminated land regime
- Learn through case studies
- To understand the potential for health impacts
- Understand the principles of effective risk communication
- Learn about current best practice
- Managing the risks.
Workshop outline
- Contaminated land guidance: overview of the legislation, the role of agencies that will be involved, and where to find relevant guidance
- Significant Potential of Significant Harm: the test used to determine whether land is contaminated or not and how this is determined
- Case studies: practical examples of investigations and their outcomes
- Risk communication: how to communicate that there is potentially an issue with contaminated land without scaremongering, and retaining the support of the affected community.
Our trainer
Tony Draper is an experienced senior housing manager who has been involved in working with a range of professionals on investigations into contaminated land sites. He has advised councils on their approach to communication, and is a regular speaker at Health Protection Agency and King’s College, London, training events.
Who should attend?
Development staff, housing managers, developers and newly appointed local authority contaminated land officers.
HQN has a track record of helping organisations achieve real and lasting performance improvements. If you are interested in accessing this training package please contact us by emailing training@hqnetwork.co.uk
