Reclamation Of Derelict Land Research Articles

Rapid Changes in Soil Nematodes in the First Years after Technosol Construction for the Remediation of an Industrial Wasteland

Technosol construction is an emergent technology that uses an assemblage of technogenic materials for the ecological reclamation of derelict land and waste recycling. Knowledge about the colonisation of Technosols by soil biota is limited, despite the latter’s central role in ecosystem functioning. In this four-year field (2008 to 2011) study, we characterized the development over time of the diversity and the abundance of soil nematodes in two types of Technosols in North-Eastern France. We also studied the nematode community structure, abundance of taxa and functional groups in both Technosol profiles in the third year of the study. Samples were collected from the top soil layer (0–20 cm) each year in the spring (April), on a one ha. field experiment that had spatially divided in 24 sampling areas. For soil profiles, three samples were collected in three horizons within six pits (three pits per Technosol). Nematodes were extracted from soil and identified at the family or genus level and then classified into functional feeding guilds. In the first year, the community was dominated by opportunistic bacterial feeders. The taxonomic and functional nematode diversity increased with time, with a dominance of non-opportunistic bacterial feeders after four years, but also the significant presence of fungal feeders, omnivorous and carnivorous, as well as plant parasites and insect parasites. No significant difference was observed between the two Technosols. Each layer showed distinct communities, with nematode diversity and abundance decreasing with depth. Abundance and diversity, coupled with the analysis of several indexes, commonly used for nematodes, including Maturity index (MI), Enrichment index (EI), Structure index (SI) and Nematode channel ratio (NCR), lead to the conclusion that the high organic matter content, particularly in the upper horizon of both Technosols, guaranteed nematode colonization and progressive diversification, and is likely to be the key for successful biodiversity reclamation.

Stability of Pareto optimal allocation of land reclamation by multistage decision-based multipheromone ant colony optimization

The assignment of multiobjective human resources is a very important phase of the decision-making process, especially with respect to research and development projects where performance strongly depends on human resources capabilities. Unfortunately, the input data or related parameters are frequently imprecise/fuzzy owing to incomplete or unobtainable information, which can be represented as a fuzzy numbers. This paper presents a multiobjective multipheromone ant colony optimization approach (MM-ACO) with an application in fuzzy multiobjective human resource allocation problem. Our approach has two characteristic features. Firstly, a set of nondominated solutions is obtained by exploring the optimal Pareto frontier using different α cut level and subsequently, based on the definition of Pareto stability, the Pareto frontier may be reduced to manageable sizes (i.e., stable Pareto optimal solutions) where in a practical sense only Pareto optimal solutions that are stable are of interest, since there are always uncertainties associated with the efficiency data. Furthermore, we provided an example of optimum utilization of human resources in reclamation of derelict land in Toshka—Egypt.

Planning for development on land that is potentially prone to subsidence in England

Subsidence problems that may constrain, add to the costs of, or delay development are widespread in England. Extensive sources of information are available, such as datasets held by the British Geological Survey and the Coal Authority, but are not always used fully in planning for development and determining planning applications. Planning Policy Guidance (PPG) Note 14 on instability was published in 1990 and later augmented by a specific Annex 2 on subsidence and planning. That guidance improved the consideration given to subsidence in planning but key advances tended to be focused on specific areas selected by Government for demonstration projects and a major derelict land reclamation initiative. Elsewhere, implementation has been patchy. Although subsidence issues tended to be taken into account in areas of extensive past underground mining, appreciation of the issues has been more difficult to establish where potential subsidence relates to isolated mining or natural underground cavities. Recent reform of the planning system has led to continuing replacement of PPGs by a new series of Planning Policy Statements (PPSs). There are currently no plans to bring PPG14 or its annexes into a PPS format and, therefore, a risk that it will gradually be forgotten and that good planning responses to subsidence may decline. Sustainability appraisal of spatial plans and environmental impact assessments of development proposals could help to ensure that this important issue is not overlooked, but existing guidance on assessments does not refer explicitly to subsidence.

The Application of Environmental Impact Assessment to Land Reclamation Practice

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a tool to assist in limiting the potential environmental damage of various developments. This article explores the possible application of EIA to projects that are instead designed to bring about environmental improvement. This is illustrated by reference to projects for the reclamation of derelict land. Consideration of the different steps of the EIA process shows how it might contribute to the land reclamation process. A review of environmental statements and government guidance enabled the compilation of a comprehensive checklist of factors associated with reclamation. A study was then made of plans to reclaim a derelict quarry in Rossendale, Lancashire, UK. The EIA approach tested revealed a number of factors of importance to the project which had not been dealt with fully or sufficiently early by the actual plans. The EIA approach was also able to demonstrate the process of intended environmental improvement for the site. It is concluded that EIA can fulfil both a 'conventional' role as a tool for environmental management and the more 'creative' role of maximizing the potentially beneficial effects of a project. Certain adaptations to the EIA process are suggested in order for it to fulfil this creative role.

The geographical concentration of labour-market disadvantage

This paper argues that British ‘welfare to work’ policies are inadequate given the geographical concentration of worklessness in northern regions and in cities and former coalfields. While unemployment has been converging geographically, inactivity has not. All the ‘welfare to work’ target groups – youth unemployed, long-term unemployed, lone parents, the long-term sick and partners of the unemployed – have closely similar geographical distributions. Official arguments that there are adequate job vacancies everywhere are shown to be flawed. The geography of worklessness is largely explained by the weakness of adjustment through migration and commuting to the loss of jobs in manufacturing and mining, the cities being particularly affected by “urban-rural manufacturing shift”. Policy needs to promote more relevant employment in high unemployment areas, through increased spending on derelict land reclamation, transport and other infrastructure. The case for more supportive policies towards manufacturing should also be considered.

L'organisation de la métropole londonienne

Greater London, in its legal definition, with an elected mayor, is just one part of a larger metropolitan area, including the Green Belt and, beyond an extensive outer metropolitan area including eight new towns, many private estates and prosperous middle-sized cities. Economic forces at work are in fact building an polycentric urban region. But, during the last two decades, planners in London are more and more concerned with the reclamation of derelict land, urban regeneration and sustainable redevelopment.

Environmental impact of minerals in UK coals

Abstract Both detrital and diagenetic minerals are quantitatively important in UK coals. The detrital minerals include quartz, and the clay minerals illite, mixed-layer illite-smectite, kaolinite and chlorite. The diagenetic minerals are dominated by pyrite/marcasite, carbonates, mainly ankerite and calcite, and kaolinite. Pyrite makes an important contribution to the S contents of the coals and is largely responsible for the variation in total S. The S content of coals delivered to power stations could be reduced by selective extraction during mining and improved physical coal-cleaning. Pyrite is a major location for trace elements of environmental concern and the elimination of pyrite would reduce both SO 2 and trace element emissions. Pyrite is also important in the weathering environment due to its instability. Its breakdown in coal stocks and colliery discard heaps may lead to spontaneous combustion. In discard heaps, pyrite breakdown is also responsible for acid porewaters and toxic elements in solution which inhibit colonization by vegetation and thus hinder reclamation of derelict land. If carbonates are sufficiently abundant, acid conditions may be eliminated. Acid porewaters are one facet of the general problem of acid mine drainage, which has a major impact on water quality, particularly in streams and rivers. In the UK acid mine drainage is a problem of growing concern due to reduction of deep-mine pumping following closure of collieries. Although pyrite breakdown in colliery spoil has an important influence on porewater compositions, it does not greatly influence the engineering stability because the major component, the mudrocks, contain very little pyrite. Upon exposure, the mudrocks break down relatively rapidly due to sedimentary structures to form an aggregate. Loss of interparticle bonding is a much slower process but there are a few mudrocks associated with low rank bituminous coals with both a high mixed-layer clay content and porosity which disintegrate rapidly during cycles of wetting and drying. There are also regional variations in the relative proportions of the clay minerals which influence the engineering properties. Kaolinite is dominant in the northern coalfields. This is also detected in the composition of fly ash produced by coal-fired power stations. Fly ash is enriched in those trace elements which have an environmental impact. The volatile elements, many of which were sulphide-associated in the coal, are enriched on the surface of the ash particles where they are accessible to leaching in the weathering environment, resulting in the contamination of natural waters.

Derelict land reclamation and English Partnerships ‐ shedding light on the new regime

Explains that the 1993 Department of Environment Survey of Derelict Land in England found that the area of derelict land in England between 1988 and 1993 remained relatively static, despite the considerable sums of public money spent on derelict land reclamation during this period. With the launch of English Partnerships in 1993, and its subsuming of Derelict Land Grant the following year, evaluates the changes in the funding of derelict land reclamation in England and attempts to identify the likely outcomes of such changes. Describes a study in which key players within English Partnerships and Government Offices for the regions were interviewed, as well as local government officers with the responsibility for implementing land reclamation programmes. Concludes that there will be a reduction in the priority and funding of derelict land reclamation and that as a consequence, the area of derelict land in England may increase for the first time in over a decade.

Reclamation of colliery mine spoil founded on natural succession

Reclamation of derelict land is of great concern for industrial countries. Technically produced and biologically inactive soils are called to be hostile to plants. Therefore, great effort is applied, in order to reintegrate them into the landscape. Ordinarily plant settlement starts with pioneer plants, especially herbs. Reafforestation, in this case, is an ecological misunderstanding. A method of mimicking natural succession including its ecological and economic advantages is described. The results of an applied experiment on virgin mine spoil with respect to species number, plant cover degree, and above ground phytomass production in the course of six years are reported in this paper.

Coal retrieval: Underwriting reclamation costs in the British coalfields

ABSTRACT An assessment of the costs and profits incurred from retrieval of the coal bearing content of tips in the South Wales Coalfield of the United Kingdom is offered as an example of the enterprising coupling of energy profits to reclamation costs. As a necessary element of environmental stewardship, the British government has undertaken an ambitious derelict land reclamation program throughout its coalfields, where a legacy of 200 years of active coal mining has left millions of tons of coal extraction wastes in the form of sterile, obtrusive tips or slag piles. Profits from the sale of small size coal salvaged from these tips are used to underwrite the cost of moving, regrading, and initiating a vegetal cover on the remaining tip discard. Since industrial dereliction is a subject of concern to all industrial societies, this functional approach to insuring landscape costs can apply to reclamation efforts underway in coal mining areas in the United States, Western Europe and elsewhere.

Derelict land: the case for a strategic approach

Abstract This paper examines the rationale underlying the ‘strategic approach’ to the prevention and reclamation of derelict land proposed in research recently published by the Department of the Environment. It outlines the main features and the processes involved in this approach and indicates the form and content of the documentation which might accompany its adoption. The paper focuses upon the tasks involved in the preparation of strategies for derelict land but the principles it examines will have wider application in other policy fields. It concludes with an examination of the practical problems which the adoption of a strategic approach may entail and the ways in which it would enhance the activities of the recently announced Urban Regeneration Agency for England.

Derelict Land Reclamation in the United Kingdom

Derelict Land Reclamation in the United Kingdom

Abandoned limestone mines in the west Midlands

In 1978 a severe subsidence occurred on the outskirts of Wednesbury, a town in the middle of the Black Country. The Black Country is the heavily industrialized area of the West Midlands (see Fig. 1) lying between Birmingham and Wolverhampton (Fig. 2). The subsidence was caused by the collapse of a limestone mine abandoned 100 years before. The area of known limestone mines in the Black Country is some 2 km 2 , about 0.50f the total land area, and about half of the mines are beneath built-up areas. The majority of the mines were worked and then abandoned during the early and middle years of the Industrial Revolution, between 1790 and 1890, although a few continued to produce limestone until the mid 1920s. The subsidence at Wednesbury prompted the commissioning of a 2 year study of the problem, by the Department of the Environment jointly with the West Midlands County Council and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sand well and Walsall. The study was undertaken by Ove Arup & Partners and the report A study of Limestone workings in the West Midlands was published in July 1983. The subsequent commitment of central Government to make funds available through their Derelict Land Reclamation Programme has enabled Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall, together with Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council, to engage Ove Arup & Partners to make detailed investigations into the extent and condition of the abandoned workings. These investigations are now being followed by design and execution of appropriate remedial measures, where these

The reclamation of derelict land for agriculture: Technical, economic and land-use planning issues

The paper focusses on the reclamation of derelict land for agriculture with particular reference to colliery spoil schemes in North West England. After outlining Government policy on land reclamation, it gives detail of the progress made in reclamation and the after-uses identified on reclaimed land. The paper goes on to discuss the technical problems of reclaiming derelict land and assesses its agricultural potential. It then considers the factors which affect the agricultural management of reclaimed land, including site design, farm structure and urban-fringe problems. Future trends in reclamation are examined, as influenced by recent changes in Government grant schemes and in the nature of derelict land itself (an increase in urban dereliction and a decline in the relative importance of colliery sites). Alternatives to current land uses on reclamation sites and possible changes in the technical approach to reclamation are briefly discussed. The paper concludes that, judged in purely economic terms, the costs of agricultural reclamation are very high in comparison to the output and employment generated by such schemes. However, it is pointed out that most schemes have been designed to achieve an environmental rather than an economic impact. It is considered that the main benefit of reclamation schemes to agriculture is attained not by farming reclaimed land, but by using it for housing, industrial and other “hard” after-uses and so reducing the amount of good-quality farmland lost to development. There are some hopeful signs in this respect.

The Handling and Disposal of Coal Ash in the Cegb in Relation to the Aqueous Environment

Pulverised fuel ash (pfa) and furnace bottom ash (fba) are the principal solid wastes from modern coal fired plant. These residues are often handled and disposed of as slurries and pfa is frequently used for the reclamation of derelict land. The disposal of excess water from the handling operation after the ash has been allowed to settle in a pond or lagoon is the first interaction with the aqueous environment that needs to be considered. In CEGB, the discharge of such effluents to rivers is governed by consents laid down by Water Authorities. The state of the art is such that the required conditions can be met in once-through handling systems without undue difficulty but one factor which requires careful management is the level of suspended solids in the outfall when a lagoon is nearly full. Whether ash is disposed of wet, or merely conditioned with water to facilitate handling. there may be a further need to consider the percolation of water through the ash and its possible interaction with groundwater. This calls for knowledge or study of the ash itself, the size of the area to be reclaimed, the rainfall pattern and the local hydrogeology, including the size and rate of recharge of the aquifer. Each case needs to be considered on its merits. The basic CEGB approach to this aspect of ash disposal is discussed; it requires the combination of laboratory studies of percolate quality with hydrogeological assessment to evaluate the potential risk, if any. The actual consent to dispose of ash, taking such factors into account, is made by the Local Authority in consultation with the Water Authority. The present view of ash disposal relative to the aqueous environment could be disturbed if legislation and the associated Codes of Practice were to become more stringent. Recent control measures which are pertinent to these activities are, therefore, considered and comment made on their content and application.

The Effect of Low Phosphorus on Nine Grass Cultivars for Derelict Land Reclamation

(1) The growth of nine commercially available grass cultivars was studied at four P levels (0-003, 0.06, 1.25, 25 ,ug P ml-') in flowing solution culture. (2) At the lowest P level which may relate to the P status of reclaimed wastes where fertility has been allowed to fall, the red fescues and fine-leaved sheep's fescue performed best, the growth of the browntop bent cultivars being severely restricted. (3) The largest intraspecific cultivar differences were shown between the bents, Boral being productive at high P. (4) Species were shown to differ in their P contents, the bents having the highest P values.

Growth Characteristics of Grass and Legume Cultivars and Their Potential for Land Reclamation

(1) Forty commercially available grass and legume cultivars were grown under non-limiting nutrient conditions in sand culture. (2) Differences in growth rate between species and cultivars were considered in relation to their possible use in the reclamation of derelict land. For any one species, intervarietal differences in mean relative growth rate (R) were small. Dry weight partition data was more variable between cultivars but, as with the growth rate, species differences were far greater than cultivar differences. (3) Legume species such as Coronilla varia and Lotus corniculatus, which have been successfully used in land reclamation, had relatively high root-weight ratios (RWR) but had low mean relative growth rates (A).

Urban Renewal of the Potteries, North Staffordshire

Recently, in the West Midlands, the United Kingdom, there has been a significant decline of its economic-and social status. Especially, the circumstances are serious in the Potteries which is a synonym for the city of Stoke-on-Trent, North Staffordshire. The Potteries has a narrowly based economy with an over-reliance on the traditional industries such as pottery manufacture and coal mining, in which 29% of total workers are employed, and yet of which current laborer requirements are declining. These traditional industries are founded largely on the local extraction of natural resources which has produced extensive areas of derelict land such as slag heaps and pit works. The city assumes the unique form of a linear polynuclear structure as a whole, but its conurbation dose not reach maturity, and six original towns are rather separated from each other. As a result of evolution of the area's basic urban structure in the late 19th century and early 20th century, there has been a legacy of areas of pre 1914 age houses with intermixed industrial and commercial premises, often dissected by busy roads. Thus, decadent and inadequate environment stemming from dereliction and non-conforming land use is a serious problem in the urban cores, associated with poor housing conditions.Therefore, of particular importance will be policies and assistance directed towards broading the economic base of the area specifically by diversifying and expanding the employment structure of the area, as well as improving the living environment such as derelict land reclamation, regulation of mixed land use and improvement of housing. The City Council has enforced a series of the policies to improve the city economy and environment, including the Slum Clearance Programme, the General Improvement Area Programme, the Derelict Land Reclamation Programme, the Sewage Disposal Programme and the Major Roads Programme.Generally speaking, in many cases of cities with medium size in the United States and Japan, the emphasis of their urban renewal is laid on functional resusciation of their urban centers. However, as concerns urban renewal of the Potteries, the subject is laid on improvement of environment. In this sense, the social welfare policy comes in front of economic policy.The areal problems of the Potteries have basically been brought as the result of rapid industrialization by extraction of natural resources since the 19th century. If a city has engraved its nature with bequests such as heaps of rubble, old buildings of no use and nonconforming land use through its long history, and if the city reaches the limit of a self-contradiction to its further development, the problems are similar in nature, to those recognized in the Potteries.

The Problem of Reclamation of Derelict Land After Coal Strip Mining in Appalachia

THE PROBLEM OF RECLAMATION OF DERELICT LAND AFTER COAL STRIP MINING IN APPALACHIA Jerry E. Green9 INTRODUCTION. The spoil banks and highwalls left after strip mining for coal has taken place have long been the object of criticism from those who are concerned about the detrimental effects of their appearance upon the landscape. Furthermore, the effects of such removal of coal have been cited as being disastrous to the region in which they occur if proper mining and reclamation procedures are not followed. Acid drainage from the mines, coupled with erosion, results in stream pollution. As for the land itself, once-productive agricultural areas are removed from the tax rolls and the citizenry is often forced to move to make way for the mining activity. The conflict between the means of securing coal and the environmental quality resulting from such means has long been apparent. However, because such mining can be an important source of economic gain for mining areas within the region, there has been a reluctance on the part of states to enact sufficiently restrictive legislation. Thus, the more desirable mining and reclamation procedures which might curb mining activities, with a resulting loss of regional income, have been avoided or minimized. It is only in the post-world War II years that state legislative controls have become significant, and the Federal government has yet to act within this realm. Nevertheless, current Federal research projects are giving increasing attention to the problems associated with strip mining of coal. Even more important, this attention is being focused on the variety of possible uses such disrupted land offers when properly reclaimed. Effective involvement concerning the problems and possibilities presented by strip mining demands a knowledge of the mining processes involved and the locational aspects of such mining as well as the existing legal structure within which the mining operations take place. It should be noted that many of the problems associated with strip mining cannot be avoided. This is particularly true with regard to the aesthetic disruption of the landscape. With respect to the legal and administrative controls, one should then think in terms of a two-phase approach. In the first instance there should be controls during the mining operation, and secondly there should be such legal instruments as are necessary to guarantee proper reclamation. *Mr. Green is a d octoral can d id a te in geography at the U n iv e rsity of N orth C a ro lin a , C hapel H ill. The paper w as accepted fo r p u b lica tio n in Ja n u a ry 1969. Vol. IX, No. 1, 1969 37 F ig u re l. G en eralized m ap of co al-b earin g area of A p p alach ia. F ig u re s in d icate bitu m in ou s co a l s trip m ined in th ou san d s of net sho rt tons in 1965. 38 S o u t h e a s t e r n G e o g r a p h e r There are several objectives in this paper. First, it seeks to outline the method, technique, and spatial nature of strip mining, and to briefly trace the history of the development of this method of coal removal in Appalachia. Second, this study seeks to present a review of the problems resulting from this means of coal removal; third, a review of the existing legal and adminis­ trative controls affecting such mining will be undertaken. Finally, several cases of completed reclamation projects have been included as examples of the positive results that can be achieved. It is significant to consider this particular means of mining at the present time. Current thinking has turned public attention to the matter of coal strip mining as a subject of increased government interest. As a more pronounced attitude of social consciousness develops in the United States, problems created by irresponsible and/or destructive resource acquisition will be given greater attention. In this paper, attention will be focused on strip mining in association with the acquisition of coal in the Appalachian Region of the United...

Land use in Walsall with special reference to reclamation of derelict land and slum clearance.

Land use in Walsall with special reference to reclamation of derelict land and slum clearance.