The contaminated land market has two overlapping aspects: soil assessment and subsequent land remediation. The South West region has a rich capacity to deal with both aspects. Bristol is home to the Soil Association, while the broader region boasts countless remediation experts.

Increasing awareness and understanding of sustainability issues means that there is now a distinct preference for lower-intensity, longer-duration, process-based remediation solutions, as opposed to landfill and barrier options.

Contaminated land naturally has close ties to the construction industry. Government policy calls for 60% of land developments to be on brownfield sites which are often contaminated. A number of large-scale remediation works are being undertaken in the South West, at Avonmouth, Plymouth and Gloucester.

Bristol City Council has notably undertaken a scheme to control pollution in the South West, while the numerous multi-disciplinary consultancies with regional offices create a strong private sector presence in the push for land remediation.

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