Landfill Gas and the Planning Process

Current UK Government policy advocates the development of Brownfield land in favour of Greenfield land. Therefore development is more likely to occur on or adjacent to sites that are a potential source of gases such as methane.

Landfill gas issues were brought to the fore in 1986 when the ingress of landfill gas was found to be the cause of an explosion in a bungalow in Loscoe, Derbyshire.

Where identified as a potential risk, an assessment of landfill gases should be included within the scope of a fully phased investigation and will be expected by the local planning authority. We would recommend that the local planning authority accepts the proposed monitoring scheme prior to commencement to ensure approval of the suggested methodology.

In accordance with Waste Management Paper 27 and Planning regulations the Environment Agency should be contacted regarding proposed developments that are within 250m of a landfill site, although this is likely to be invoked by the local planning authority for other potential gas sources.

Guidance on levels of gas are provided by authorities such as the British Research Establishment (BRE), the Department of Transport & the Regions and the Environment Agency. Methane at a concentration of 1% and carbon dioxide of 1.5% are generally considered to be a potential risk to a development and as such gas protection measures will be required to be incorporated within the building design.