The burial of corpses and their subsequent degradation may potentially cause groundwater pollution. Cemetery or Memorial Ground developments (new or extended) are therefore controlled by the Local Authority through the Planning Process, with the Environment Agency (EA) as a key statutory consultee.
BOLD Environmental provides our Clients with the Specialist Technical Advice and Groundwater Risk Assessment Services to enable the EA to establish the potential pollution risk to groundwater and to determine the planning application. Our approach consults directly with EA technical and planning personnel to ensure effective decision making in line with relevant guidance and the current legal framework.
Our Risk Assessment approach would be conducted in accordance with the EA's most recent guidance "Cemeteries and Burials: prevent groundwater pollution" (Feb. 2018), and "Cemeteries and Burials: groundwater risk assessments" (Aug. 2017); which advocate a tiered assessment approach; which can be summarised as follows:
The extent to which all tiers are required depends on the nature of the proposed development, the environmental setting and whether or not baseline groundwater quality is readily available. BOLD Environmental engage the Environment Agency at the outset to determine the most pragmatic approach to the assessment.