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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT BY DEPUTY J.H. YOUNG OF ST. BRELADE
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 6th NOVEMBER 2012
Question
Will the Minister provide the Assembly with full details, including dates and measures required, of the actions either he or his predecessor have taken using their enforcement or regulatory powers to require the owner of the derelict former Plemont Holiday camp after its closure in late 2000, to mitigate or eliminate the risks to the site and environment of the North Coast , including those which were identified in the documents submitted to the recent Planning Inquiry, namely a report of an oil contamination incident onto the North Headland in August 1989 and a ground contamination risk assessment dated 19th December 2008 which identified a risk -
of hydrocarbon contamination from leakages from the underground heating oil distribution network serving the complex;
of exposure to asbestos present in the buildings (103,983 sq.ft) and underground pipe network;
of contamination to underlying soils and groundwater from leakage of sewage tanks; of contamination from PCB's from the electrical sub station;
of soils contaminated by toxic metals and PAH's on the site of the previously burnt down Plemont Hotel .
Answer
In relation to the reported oil contamination, the then Water Resources section (part of the Public Services Committee) investigated the incident and provided advice at that time with respect to site investigation and remediation.
This pollution incident occurred prior to the implementation of the Water Pollution (Jersey) Law 2000, hence the then Public Services Committee would have had limited regulatory powers to ensure appropriate remediation or cleanup of the site.
Notwithstanding, as part of the Phase 1 contaminated land report for the planning application, the groundwater risk assessment undertaken in 2008 has identified various potential risks of contamination. This report is designed to identify all potential risks on site which require further sampling and investigation should any development of the site occur.
Any planning permission granted for the Plemont site would be conditioned so that the applicant would be required to satisfy myself, as Minister, that a rigorous process has been followed in the full assessment of all contamination on site and demonstrate that these will be addressed and remediated to safeguard against both human and environmental risk. These processes are detailed within the Department's Supplementary Planning Guidance Planning Advice Note 2. Development of Potential Contaminated Land, October 2005.
This process will be dealt with during the Planning stage and be subject to approval from the appropriate regulatory officers.