Post by Brent George on Aug 21, 2017 20:10:21 GMT
In Canterbury, the Regional Council ECan (Environment Canterbury) has a Listed land Use Register (LLUR) that reports any record of land contamination on a property, or potential land contamination at the site.
OK - fair enough that any and all historical land use contamination records should be noted against the respective properties, and be easily searchable by the public. However, the flagging of "potential" land contamination is where the concerns start to grow. I have always thought the intention was that if - say - the previously rural land had been used for horticultural purposes then a flag would identify potential contamination by non-organic sprays. Thus the land is effectively deemed contaminated until proven otherwise.
But to have an official website that is supposedly the main source for recording and reporting contamination that does not include a capacity to be updated by subsequent reports by 'suitably qualified' persons that clear the land of such contamination accusation is dangerous. (As an esteemed lecturer used to say to students "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing...")
No wonder current landowners are concerned about land values.... Stuff 21-Aug-2017
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Surely the solution here is for ECan to request, review and accept the modern report, and immediately update their LLUR. I wonder how long this pragmatic solution will take.....