Briefing: Contaminated land redevelopment in fragmented ownership

Abstract

A part of the ‘current trends in municipal engineering’ feature, this paper is a case study concerning the site assembly and comprehensive redevelopment of contaminated land. The site is in fragmented ownership and comprises mainly run-down commercial premises, many vacant or derelict, that have seen little investment for many years and is severed by six east–west public roads along its length. Because the site, in East London, aligns with one of the Mayor's strategic objectives there is a strong case for enabling development owing to its proximity to a public transport interchange. Through the intervention of the London Development Agency and a design brief for the site a compulsory purchase order was brought about comprising approximately 2·4 ha. There is a considerable body of policy support for the regeneration of urban areas in decline, emanating from national government policy cascading down to local level. There is a compelling case for the regeneration of the compulsory purchase order land and common consent that the compulsory purchase order site is in a state of severe decay and continuing decline. It has a seriously adverse impact on the immediate area for a combination of reasons.