Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
24.8 Brownfields: A Blessing in Disguise?
CABERNET defines Brownfields as sites that:
have been affected by the former uses of the site and surrounding land;
are derelict and underused;
may have real or perceived contamination problems;
are mainly in developed urban areas;
and require intervention to bring them back to beneficial use.
As a network of industrial problem holders, NICOLE's principal interest in
Brownfields is in relation to the closure of industrial sites which will then meet
the CABERNET definition.
Europe and the industrial world on the whole is still cluttered with plots and sites
in mostly suburban areas. Their remediation and redevelopment had so many hur-
dles in the past that many of them have remained in a state of advanced dilapidation
of their buildings as a visible sign of their abandonment, both economically and
societal., With city centres spreading out and economy shifting to cleaner industry
and commerce, some of the Brownfields are today in a desired location and merit a
new use.
Yet, generally speaking, Brownfield sites are still regarded as a problem requir-
ing a solution rather than offering an opportunity. The counterpoint to this view was
addressed in the NICOLE workshop “The Redevelopment of Sites from an Industrial
Perspective” , held in Akersloot, the Netherlands, in June 2007. This workshop
highlighted the benefits of the reuse of Brownfield sites for economic, social and
environmental regeneration. Examples were given of the advantages to local com-
munities, governments, vendors and developers of Brownfield sites, from site to city
scale. As introduced above, Brownfield sites are often situated on premium locations
(A-sites) for housing or other high-value development: it was shown that their devel-
opment releases funds that can be used to deal with the historic legacy of soil and
groundwater contamination.
Nevertheless, industrial site owners are very much aware of the issues associated
with selling and redeveloping contaminated land in particular for sensitive uses,
such as housing. In particular, many industrial companies are sensitive to the possi-
bility that, even with contractual and legal safeguards in place, it could be possible
for them to be confronted with the responsibility for a post-divestiture contamina-
tion problem. Thus potential future liability is a major concern, not simply from
a financial perspective, but also from the point of view of reputation damage, that
may well have been hard won. In many cases, financial concerns take a secondary
role against the adverse publicity that can surface if major owners are retroactively
called back to remediate sites which have been redeveloped. More specific concerns
include:
Institutional controls - How can initial and subsequent uses of property be
controlled to prevent uses that are not encompassed within a Risk Assessment
framework? In many cases remediation objectives are set for the immediate
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