General information for a desk study

B.1 General land survey

Information on the following is needed to carry out a general land survey (see also Annex C):

a) location of site on published maps and charts;
b) aerial imagery of suitable spatial scale, all dated and geo-located where appropriate;
c) site boundaries, outlines of structures and building lines;
d) ground contours and natural drainage features;
e) obstructions to sight lines and ship/aircraft movement, for example transmission lines;
f) indication of obstructions below ground;
g) indication of the possible presence of Unexploded Ordnance;
h) routes of services/utilities or infrastructure including underground or overground pipes or cables;
i) record of differences and omissions in relation to published maps;
j) position of survey stations and benchmarks (the latter with reduced levels); and
k) meteorological information.

The following information on permitted uses and restrictions is needed:

a) planning and statutory restrictions applying to the particular areas under the Town and Country Planning Acts administered by appropriate planning authorities;
b) local authority regulations on planning restrictions, listed buildings and building bye-laws;
c) right of light, support and way, including any easements, land covenants and structural precautions;
d) tunnels; mine workings, abandoned, active and proposed, mineral rights and ownership, and authorizations/permits to work (e.g. Network Rail and the Coal Authority);
e) ancient monuments and burial grounds;
f) previous potentially contaminative uses of the site and adjacent areas (see 17.9, BS 10175 and BS 8576);
g) any restrictions imposed by environmental and ecological considerations, e.g. sites of special scientific interest;
h) working near watercourses: any permitting required by the Environment Agency;
i) duty of care requirements to local residents, e.g. noise and vibration; and
j) working hours, e.g. night time working due to traffic management restrictions.

Information on the following is needed:

a) road (check ownership and potential need for traffic management);
b) railway (check for closure);
c) by water;
d) by air;
e) for coastal investigations: tide levels and timings; and
f) land use (for example arable or pasture) and vegetation (for example, grassed playing field or woodland).

The following information on ground conditions is needed:

a) geological maps including soil maps, hydrogeological maps, aquifer designation maps (see C.2.1);
b) geological memoirs;
c) previous land use from, for example, Ordnance Survey maps;
d) flooding, erosion, landslide, mining and subsidence history;
e) data held by central and local authorities;
f) previous and current construction and investigation records of the site and adjacent sites (as applicable);
g) seismicity;
h) lake, reservoir, tide levels and timings; and
i) information related to voids.

Information on the following sources of material for construction is needed:

The following information on drainage and sewage is needed:

a) names of sewage, land drainage and other authorities concerned and their bye-laws;
b) locations and levels of existing systems (including field drains and ditches), showing sizes of pipes, and whether foul, storm water or combined;
c) existing flow quantities and capacity for additional flow;
d) liability to surcharging;
e) charges for drainage and disposal facilities;
f) neighbouring streams or public sewers capable of taking sewage or trade effluents provided they are purified to the required standard;
g) disposal of solid waste; and h) flood risk to proposed works.

The following information on water supply is needed:

The following information on electricity supply is needed:

The following information on gas supply is needed:

The following information on telecommunications is needed:

The following information on heating is needed:

a) availability of fuel supplies;
b) planning restrictions (smokeless zone; Clean Air Act 1993 [167] administered by local authorities); and
c) district heating.

The following information is needed to assess the potential for contamination:

a) history of the site, including details of owners, occupiers and users, and any incidents or accidents relating to dispersal of contaminants;
b) processes used, including their locations;
c) nature and volume of raw materials, products, waste residues;
d) waste disposal activities and methods of handling waste;
e) layout of the site above and below ground at each stage of development, including roadways, storage areas, hard-cover areas, and the presence of any extant structures and services;
f) presence of any waste disposal tips, abandoned pits, mines and quarries; and
g) presence of nearby sources of contamination from which contaminants could migrate via air and/or groundwater onto the site under consideration.