An area may be labelled as contaminated land if it has the potential to cause significant harm due to substances in, on or under the land, or where there is likely to be pollution of controlled water. The harm may be to human health, plants, property, crops, livestock, ecological systems or ancient monuments and archaeological sites.
The situation in Cheltenham - Some land within the borough may be contaminated due to past industrial use. As part of its contaminated land inspection strategy, the council is in the process of inspecting sites to see if they present an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. Where significant harm has been proven or there is a possibility of significant harm, such land is formally determined as contaminated land.
The council maintains a public register of land that has been formally determined as contaminated land.