Nantwich playing fields investigations complete – no further action needed

 

Cheshire East Council is pleased to announce that no further work is required at the Barony playing fields, in Nantwich, to investigate the potential contamination issues.

In June this year, the authority announced it was carrying out tests to detect any potential land contamination after it was decided that further investigation and more extensive soil sampling was required at the site – a former clay pit and domestic refuse tip.

This followed a risk assessment and screening of all the known landfills in the whole Cheshire East area.

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Council has an obligation to investigate all land which is potentially contaminated as a result of its previous use. The aim is to ensure that all land is suitable for its current use.

Soil tests showed that no significant health risks were found at the Barony. Groundwater assessments proved there are no significant pollution risks and risks posed by bulk gases were found to be low.

Councillor Les Gilbert, Cabinet member in charge of communities and regulatory services, said: “We have taken numerous steps to investigate this site to ensure that there are no significant hazards to site users or the local community, as any responsible local authority should.

“I am delighted to say that park users and residents should enjoy using the park as they always have.

“We inherited the playing fields from the previous Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council, which granted permission for the site to be used as playing fields. However, the health of users and residents is a priority for the Council, therefore these investigations were necessary.

“We were never aware of any major issues or problems with pollution but it was important that we ensured that this was entirely the case. As with all of our sites, we will continue to review this site in light of any new evidence or information.”

For further information, visit the council website at www.cheshireeast.gov.uk and click on ‘environment and planning’ and then ‘environmental health’.