The International Sustainable Remediation Alliance (ISRA)/SuRF International meeting notes from the November 2024 meeting have now been published and are available to download here.

Concawe has published a report called Identification of sustainable management practices (SMPs) for remediation projects at fuel manufacturing sites. This report presents the results of a project which aimed to develop a shortlist of commonly applied and would-like-to apply SMPs applicable for projects at fuel manufacturing sites. It is available to download here.

CL:AIRE was delighted to host the first meeting of the International Soil Reuse Forum (ISRF) at its Reading office on 20 November 2024, joined by colleagues from Grondbank in Belgium, BRGM in France, and representatives from CL:AIRE’s Earthbanks project. The ISRF aims to: foster discussions around mutual challenges, opportunities, and innovations in soil management; share good practices; explore policy developments; encourage joint problem-solving; and establish an authoritative, global voice on soil management issues to enhance recognition and advocacy.

The ISLANDR project is running an online consultation on the management of excavated soil.

The EU Soil Strategy for 2030 and its implementation strategy foresee the use of soil health certification and soil passporting to facilitate the reuse of excavated soils by providing confidence in soil quality and traceability of supply and use. It states that “clean” excavated soils should be reused in the same or another appropriate location and if that is not possible, e.g. because the soil is contaminated, it should be prioritised for recycling or some other form of recovery rather than landfilling.

In September 2024 the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) published its policy paper Brownfield Passport: Making the Most of Urban Land. The government is keen to hear from representative bodies working in brownfield land that can help inform. This is not a formal consultation and there is not a formal deadline. To provide feedback, please visit Citizen Space.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published an updated National Planning Policy Framework. It is available to download here.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published the government response to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system consultation. It is available to view here.

The Environment Agency is seeking views on a proposed new standard rules permit for using unbound incinerator bottom ash aggregate in construction as a deposit for recovery operation. Further information is available here.

Information on how to participate in the consultation is available here. The consultation closes on 3 March 2025.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) have published a paper inviting view's on the government's proposed new approach to development and nature recovery. This is not a formal consultation and feedback is requested through Citizen's Space. Further information and how to respond is available here.

The Coal Authority has been renamed to the Mining Remediation Authority. It is felt that this better reflects the organisation's 24/7 role to manage the effects of historical mining in England, Scotland and Wales and its work to seek low-carbon opportunities from its mining heritage for the future. Further information is available here.

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) is seeking permission to intervene in a case that could clarify the operation of the habitats Regulations at different stages of an application for planning permission. It is felt that this potentially has wider implications for the interpretation of EU-derived environmental law. Further information is available here.

The Environment Agency has published a major update to the National Assessment of Flood Risk (NaFRA). It has worked with local authorities to provide a single and updated picture of the current and future flood risk from rivers, the sea and surface water for England. NaFRA was last updated in 2018. The updated NaFRA is available here.

Scottish Government has now issued a revision of the Environmental Quality Standards and Status Directions 2024. The directions update the environmental standards and ways of classifying status, which are both necessary to support the River Basin Management Planning process.