home > regulatory framework > notes on regulatory regimes

Notes on regulatory regimes

This page gives further information on the UK regulatory regimes for radioactive contamination, non-radioactive contamination and mixed contamination on nuclear-licensed sites and defence sites. The principle regimes and their key features are listed by type of contamination and type of site.

1. Jump to regimes for radioactive contaminated land
2. Jump to regimes for non-radioactively contaminated land
3. Jump to regimes for land with mixed contamination

Radioactively contaminated land

On nuclear-licensed sites:

Principal regime – NIA65
Guidance – HSE SAPs, HSE delicensing policy statement
Definitions – “radioactively contaminated land”, “remediation”
Key features of regime

• strategy required for management of “radioactively contaminated land”, to be developed by comparing management options on a range of factors, to be integrated with waste management and decommissioning strategies
• all nuclear site licence conditions apply but conditions 4, 14, 23, 25, 32, 34 are particularly important
• sources of contamination to be controlled
• contaminated areas to be characterised, controlled and “remediated”
• delicensing requires demonstration of “no danger”
• “remediate” to appropriate standards before constructing new facilities.

On defence nuclear sites:

• regime equivalent to that for nuclear-licensed sites (see above)

On defence non-nuclear sites, no change of land use to occur:

Principal regime – Part 2A
Guidance – Defra 01/2006, WAG 2006, EA 2006
Definitions – “radioactive contaminated land”, “intervention”
Key features of regime

• “intervention” to reduce radiation exposure must be justified (do more good than harm)
• “intervention” must be optimised (choose the option that will do the most good)
• consult stakeholders when assessing what is justified and optimised
• take into account social and financial costs when assessing what is justified and optimised
• quantitative decision-aiding methods (eg multi-attribute analysis) can be useful.

On defence non-nuclear sites, change of land use to occur:

Principal regime – Planning
Guidance – PPS 23, PAN33, WLGA 2006, EA 2002
Definitions – “land affected by radioactive contamination”, “land contaminated with radioactivity”
Key features of regime

• in general, no remediation required if land in new use would lead to individual risks below one in a million
• remediation likely to be required if individual risks in new use would be above one in one hundred thousand
• between these risk levels, and in complex situations, evaluate and compare land management options on a wide range of factors (technical, financial and social), including short-term and long-term impacts on people and the environment.

On other sites:

• as for defence sites (but RSA93 applies for radioactive wastes).

- back to top -

 

Non-radioactively contaminated land

On any site where no change of land use proposed:

Principal regime – Part 2A
Guidance – Defra 01/2006, SE/2006/44, WAG 2006
Definitions – “contaminated land”, “remediation”
Key features of regime

• all “contaminated land” must be “remediated” if it is reasonable to do so, best practicable technique for “remediation” must be taken into account
• voluntary “remediation” is encouraged
• “standard of remediation” to be established for each “significant pollution linkage”
• environment agencies agree remedial measures and issue remediation notices if necessary
• “appropriate persons” bear remediation costs (usually current owner)

On any site where change of land use proposed:

Principal regime – Planning
Guidance – PPS 23, PAN33, WLGA 2006
Definitions – “land affected by contamination”
Key features of regime

• significant pollution linkages to be broken and no new ones created
• proposed developments must protect all relevant receptors to appropriate standards
• impact of remediation activities on workers, local residents and other off-site receptors to be considered when deciding on remedial measures
• achieve appropriate balance between short-term impacts (of remediation, construction etc) and long-term benefits of development (social, economic etc).

- back to top -

 

Land with mixed contamination

All types of site:

• regimes for radioactive and non-radioactive contamination for type of site apply
• regime for radioactive contamination usually takes precedence.

- back to top -

 

sitemap