CL:AIRE's charitable remit is to encourage discussion and debate of important issues in the world of sustainable land reuse.
If you would like to submit an article on the latest developments in your field, or have an idea for a topic you would like CL:AIRE to cover, please email enquiries@claire.co.uk
All articles are reviewed in-house to ensure quality and independence.
News of particular interest to DoWCoP QPs.
CL:AIRE is heavily involved with a number of projects and industry-led initiatives (e.g. on waste reuse, sustainable remediation, asbestos in soil, etc) and plays a significant role in the dissemination of useful, relevant and peer-reviewed information on issues affecting the brownfield and contaminated land sector. CL:AIRE also encourages project partners to undertake technology demonstration and research projects (“CL:AIRE projects”) to raise the contaminated land industry's awareness of, and confidence in, technologies that have been applied on real sites.
CL:AIRE actively seeks the participation of site owners, consultants, developers, remediation companies, technology providers and academics to become project partners.
For more information about any of these projects or services that we may be able to provide, please contact one of CL:AIRE’s project team by phone on 01182281488.
Benefits of CL:AIRE Project Partnership
Establishing a partnership with CL:AIRE will provide a range of key benefits:
Service Providers (consultants, contractors, labs, technology vendors)
- Profile – CL:AIRE is committed to promoting business opportunities for all our project partners, by linking problem holders with solution providers and promoting within the UK and abroad
- Dissemination – Benefit from bulletins, project reports, eAlerts, conferences and workshops and our website portal to reach over 2,000 contacts in the UK and abroad
- Credibility – Our unique approach allows your demonstration to be reviewed by an experienced, highly-regarded and credible third party (the Technology and Research Group)
- Business opportunities – Expand your business through our network and sponsorship opportunities at our national and regional conferences and events
- Access – CL:AIRE endeavours to give you access to suitable sites for testing and trialling new technologies.
Site Owners and Developers
- Profile – Benefit from tailored publicity in our bulletins, reports, eAlerts and on our website to communicate your organisation’s commitment to sustainability to our 2,000 strong UK and international network
- Confidence – Our credible, third party review of your project by the highly-regarded Technology and Research Group can help provide much-needed confidence
- Knowledge – Gain a better understanding of technologies that may be applied to your sites
- Potential Cost Savings – Discover opportunities for improving efficiency and using cost-effective land management options
- Partnership – CL:AIRE can work collaboratively with your current partners
- Community – Our community guides and teaching aids inform and promote remediation within communities, and serve to manage risk communication on a wider scale.
Research Groups
- Profile – Enjoy valuable publicity for your latest developments to a wider market
- Dissemination – Benefit from bulletins, project reports, eAlerts, conferences and workshops and our website portal to reach over 2,000 contacts in the UK and abroad
- Strategy – Discuss and refine your approach with CL:AIRE and benefit from our team’s wealth of knowledge and data archives
- Funding – In certain cases, CL:AIRE can help acquire funding for key research projects through our network partners
- Access – We will endeavour to give you access to an appropriate site to develop your technology.
The DoW CoP provides a clear, consistent and efficient process which enables the reuse of excavated materials on-site or their movement between sites.
Use of the DoW CoP supports the sustainable and cost-effective development of land. It can provide an alternative to Environmental Permits or Waste Exemptions.
The DoW CoP enables:
- the direct transfer and reuse of clean naturally occurring soil materials between sites
- the conditions to support the establishment/operation of fixed soil treatment facilities
- the reuse of both contaminated/uncontaminated materials on their site of origin and between sites within defined Cluster projects
The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
SuRF-UK is the United Kingdom’s Sustainable Remediation Forum – an initiative set up to progress the UK understanding of sustainable remediation. SuRF-UK is also a member of International Sustainable Remediation Alliance (ISRA).
SuRF-UK Roadmap
| SuRF-UK Framework and Annex 1 - Indicator Set | |||
| SuRF-UK Indicator Report | |||
| Sustainable Management Practices | |||
| Tier 1- Qualitative Assessment SuRF-UK Briefcase |
Tier 2 - Semi-quantitative Assessment Links to guidance |
Tier 3 - Quantitative Assessment Links to guidance |
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| Illustrative Case Studies, reports, information sources SuRF-UK Case Studies and Bulletins, Journal Papers, SuRF-UK webinar |
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To navigate through the SuRF-UK web pages, please hover over the relevant section that you require on the road map and short cuts will direct you to the relevant page, alternatively navigate using the articles index on the right.
![Home [claire.co.uk]](/images/eAlert_images/national_brownfield_forum-logo.png){kind=logo}
Introduction to the National Quality Mark Scheme (NQMS) for land contamination
Aim
The aim of the quality scheme is to ensure that all land contamination investigation reports adhere to current guidance and good practice, with a clear understanding of the legislative regimes. The NQMS is designed to ensure that reports are right first time and provide confidence to all stakeholders that land contamination risks have been appropriately investigated and assessed.
Details
The NQMS is a system designed by the National Brownfield Forum to ensure that the assessment and management of land contamination meets the necessary technical and regulatory standards. It applies in particular to the presentation of environmental information to the regulators in the form of reports, setting out both factual and interpretative information.
Reports are prepared in line with good practice and follow the Land Contamination Risk Management (LCRM) framework and are reviewed and signed off by a suitably qualified and experienced person registered under the NQMS who ensures:
· The work has been planned, undertaken, written up and reviewed by competent people who have relevant experience and/or qualifications in their respective disciplines.
· The underlying data has been collected in line with established good practice procedures and its collection has been subject to control via established quality management systems.
· The data has been processed, analysed and interpreted in line with established good practice, having due regard for any specific advice provided by the relevant regulatory authorities.
· The reports set out risk based recommendations or conclusions that are substantiated by the underlying data and are based upon reasonable interpretations.
· Any limitations in the data or uncertainties in the analysis are clearly identified along with the possible consequences of such limitations.
The scheme is voluntary and the procedure is simple. It has been designed to minimise costs and maximise benefits by operating alongside and within existing quality management systems. The scheme is being administered and supported on behalf of the National Brownfield Forum by CL:AIRE as secretariat and SiLC as SQP assessors.
Professional Development
NQMS links directly to the Brownfield Skills Framework. This framework has been developed to provide guidance on the skills required from graduate, through chartership to SQP/SiLC accreditation. With a skills gap quickly developing in the land contamination sector, having a clear career and CPD framework in place for both industry and regulator practitioners promotes and encourages skills to be retained, confirming the importance of land contamination professionals.
NQMS and Regulators
The scheme was initially designed to support Local Planning Authorities and Local Authority Contaminated Land Officers and other Government funded planning consultees (statutory and non-statutory) prioritise and maximise the deployment of scarce public resources. Since its launch the scheme has been expanded for use across multiple legislative regimes beyond planning and redevelopment and now also supports quality data submissions to the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.
Prolonged and protracted consultations over poorly executed land quality investigations, with conceptual models that miss critical receptors or reports that do not follow the LCRM guidance are unacceptable.
The NQMS is designed to support regulators have confidence in the quality of reports carrying a NQMS declaration, aiming to reduce the time for review by providing good quality reports that are right first time.
And, if there are concerns over a report carrying a NQMS declaration, there is an audit process which can investigate.
The NQMS is not about avoiding scrutiny or regulatory review; a well-developed investigation, that follows good practice and land contamination guidance will hold up to that scrutiny and be clear and transparent about the uncertainties.
NQMS and Consultants / Contractors
The National Planning Policy Framework states that land contamination assessments must be completed by a ‘competent person’. LCRM states that land contamination reports should be reviewed by a suitably qualified person. Adoption of the NQMS process demonstrates that your company complies with both these obligations.
The NQMS is not about changing the way consultants and contractors are working, it aligns with the guidance and frameworks already in place that should be adopted by all parties acting in the capacity of competent person (as defined in the NPPF) undertaking land contamination assessments.
Adopting the NQMS demonstrates to Clients that your company is supporting good practice and the ‘right first time’ approach for each and every report.
If your company does not have a SQP in-house, check the requirements for working at this level in the Brownfield Skills Framework and consider attending a SiLC introductory session to find out what is involved; SiLC also offers a mentor scheme to support SQP/SiLC development.
There are also independent SQPs who may be willing to support with peer review and project advice who are not direct competitors, providing that your company has a clear technical development scheme in place. Check the SQP register.
NQMS and Developers & Other Stakeholders
Significant economic benefits are achieved by getting assessments ‘right first time’ without the need for lengthy negotiations and detailed auditing by the regulators. In particular, planning applications submitted under the Town and Country Planning regime should benefit significantly from speedier resolution if NQMS is involved. Use of the NQMS will also assist in the prompt discharge of subsequent planning conditions.
Projects and developments that meet the standards for regulatory compliance incur less costly delays and are not subject to enforcement action.
The scheme has been designed around current good practice and guidance that should be followed by all land quality consultants. Asking consultants to adopt the scheme should not incur any additional costs as experienced and reputable consultants will be following this guidance anyway; adoption of the scheme will ensure that only competent individuals work on your project, as required in the NPPF. This also means you can have confidence that advice and recommendations are balanced, supported by the data and clearly summarise uncertainties.
To find out which consultants have an in-house SQP, a person meeting the required standard of ‘competent’ in land contamination assessments, check the SQP register.
If your preferred consultants do not have a SQP on the register, let them know your intention to ensure compliance with the scheme. The SQP registration is open twice a year and any experienced land contamination professional can apply.
National Quality Mark Scheme- Getting it right first time Webinar
NQMS Roadmap
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The NQMS Process |
Overview of NQMS Scheme | ||
| What is a Suitably Qualified Person (SQP)? | |||
| Brownfields Skills Framework | Water & Land Library (WALL) | SQP Register | |
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Useful Information & Links |
Accredited Risk Assessor Training Provider - SoBRA |
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To navigate through the NQMS web pages, please hover over the relevant section that you require on the road map and short cuts will direct you to the relevant page.
The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
SuRF-UK is the United Kingdom’s Sustainable Remediation Forum – an initiative set up to progress the UK understanding of sustainable remediation and sustainable land management. SuRF-UK is also a member of International Sustainable Remediation Alliance (ISRA). SuRF- UK helps you understand how sustainable development can be applied to remediation.
Choose a role to find a pathway through the information available, or find what you need in the Roadmap below.
Beginner
Beginner's Guide
Learn the key principles about Sustainable Remediation with a simple introduction to sustainable remediation.
Aimed at someone new to sustainability / sustainable remediation who wants or needs to understand in a basic way what it means and why and how they should do it.
Starting point: View the video animation for an overview of what sustainable remediation is.
Read SuRF Bulletin 7 - Introduction to Sustainable Remediation
Learner
Learner's Guide
Developing knowledge about sustainable remediation.
Aimed at someone who has a basic understanding but needs to know more about what it involves, why it could be useful for them and how to implement it.
Starting point: The video animation above provides a quick overview.
Key Reading:
Debunking the Myths about Sustainable Remediation (External PDF download)
Practitioner
Practitioner's Guide
Guidance and tools to help you carry out a sustainable remediation or a sustainability appraisal.
Aimed at someone looking to implement simple management practices or who intends to carry out a sustainability appraisal.
Starting point: View the video animation for an overview of what sustainable remediation is.
The framework document sets out why sustainability issues associated with remediation needs to be factored in right from the outset of a project.
Key Reading:
Sustainable Management Practices for Management of Land Contamination
Site Owner
Starting point: View the video animation for an overview of what sustainable remediation is
Key Reading:
Concawe Sustainable Remediation Case Studies
Regulator
Academic
To navigate through the SuRF-UK web pages, please hover over the relevant section that you require on the road map and short cuts will direct you to the relevant page, alternatively navigate using the articles index to the right.
Roadmap
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Framework |
The key document updated in 2025 that introduces the SuRF-UK approach to sustainable remediation. |
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General guidance on how to carry out a sustainability assessment
Guidance on choosing sustainability indicators to use in an assessment
A spreadsheet containing a list of potential sustainability indicators. Also shows where each might link to other indicators and how they connect to the UN SDGs
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| SuRF-UK Bulletins | |||
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Executing sustainable |
Sustainable Management Practices Report and Spreadsheet 2021 |
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Tier 1- Qualitative Assessment
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Tier 2 - Semi-quantitative Assessment |
Tier 3 - Quantitative Assessment |
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Supporting |
Illustrative Case Studies, reports, information sources
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The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
The Gas Protection Verification Accreditation Scheme (GPVS) is a scheme that seeks to raise standards in membrane inspection, verification and reporting and provide all stakeholders involved in land contamination management with confidence that risks associated with ground gases have been adequately managed. The scheme applies to both the practical installation of the gas mitigation measures and to the verification reporting process. Recognising different personnel often undertake inspection and reporting, there are two separate accreditation routes to demonstrate competence ‘Specialist in Gas Protection Verification’ (SGPV) and ‘Technician in Gas Protection Verification’ (TGPV).
GPVS Roadmap
To navigate through the GPVS web pages, please navigate using the articles index on the right.
The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
CL:AIRE Membership
CL:AIRE's Membership Scheme has two branches:
- CL:AIRE Principal Membership is for organisations looking to raise their company profile within and outside the industry and is available for an annual contribution of £3,000 ex VAT.
- CL:AIRE Supporter Membership is for organisations looking to improve and gain greater technical support and is available for an annual contribution of £500 ex VAT per organisation (£100 ex VAT for public sector).
Industry Profiles
The Department of Environment (DoE) published a series of 47 industry profiles in 1995. A project to update 15 of the profiles was undertaken in 2025/26 with funding from the Environment Agency, Association of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Specialists and Natural Resources Wales. The 15 updated profiles draw on information from the original documents and present the information in a simple interactive matrix, with further information available on each profile as an individual page. The profiles were kindly reviewed by industry volunteers which was a key part of the project (steering group and volunteers acknowledged here). The profile pages can be accessed by clicking the View Profiles button below.
The original profiles were scanned and created into PDF documents by Defra and are available from the National Archives (DoE Industry Profiles). Part of the recent project has been to make these scanned documents available as searchable PDF downloads and these are also available by clicking the View Profiles button. As scanned documents, their quality is poorer than normally provided, however their usefulness to the risk management process is such that it was still felt important to make them available. The original profiles provide information on the processes, materials and waste associated with individual industries with regard to land contamination. They are not definitive studies but they introduce some of the technical considerations that need to be borne in mind at the start of an investigation for possible contamination.
IMPORTANT: This information must only be used as a guide to understand what potential contamination may be associated with a specific industry.