Advice on development of property on brownfield land is available elsewhere (CIRIA, 2002), but marina developers may find such guidance useful in identifying issues.
Whether a marina development involves land purchase or not the same care as would be put into a property purchase should be put into looking at the land and surrounding area for the marina. Enquiries should be made from the local authority and utility companies for any information relating to the site. This is likely to take time and should therefore be done as one of the first tasks. If purchasing the land your legal representative will advise commissioning a check using an environmental data search service. It is important to have such information but based on at least a 1km radius around the site to pick up on nearby features that might be important. The information provided should include details of:
- statutory wildlife designations
- flood maps
- outline geological information
- potentially contaminative uses in or near the site
- pollution incidents
- activities licensed by the Environment Agency in the area
This information will help identify items that may be of concern at an early stage. At the design stage this information, together with subsequent data gathered, will need to be pulled together into a Land Condition Record to support any planning application.
Useful references and links
CIRIA (2002) Brownfields - managing the development of previously developed land. A client's guide (C578) Click here to see a copy of the client guide.
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors www.RICSFIRMS.com (Select Firm Type - Environmental - Environmental Audit)
