Why has my property been referred?

Unless there are no issues identified and the report is immediately 'Passed', it will be referred to Wilbourn Associates (for their professional opinion) by Landmark Information Group. This is for any potentially contaminative features that are identified by the computer generated report, which are either on the property or within a specified distance.Once a report is referred, an environmental surveyor can assess the environmental impact of these features and come to a decision as to whether the property is at risk of being either designated contaminated land, and/or the value of the property being adversely affected.


Why has the property been passed?

If the surveyor feels that there is a low risk of the property being adversely affected, then the property will receive a 'Passed' document. For example, this may be because the features identified in the report are at a sufficient distance from the property, or are too small a risk to be of consequence.


What is a Further Action document?

When the environmental surveyor has studied historical maps and reviewed selected data provided by Landmark they may have identified a potentially contaminative past or current land use. This may affect either the value of the property or the likelihood of the property being designated 'contaminated land'. As a result the report will be given a 'Further Action'.

Please note that the 'Further Action' document is in no way a 'fail' and is only a prompt for the vendor/purchaser to collect more information regarding the site.


I have received a 'Further Action',
what should I do now?

Please read the Further Action document fully to understand the reason for the property receiving a 'Further Action'.

Information relating to issues raised in the 'Further Action' is included within the Enviroscreen document. Please read the list of questions which are included in the 'Further Action' document. These are meant as a guide to allow you to resolve the issues which have been raised in the report.


Can I have a 'Passed' certificate?

Neither Landmark nor Wilbourn Associates re-issue certificates after a 'Further Action' has been given. Any information that has been obtained regarding the property should be kept with the search for the property for further reference. If the issues raised in the search and/or 'Further Action' document have been dealt with (for example, the questions at the bottom of the 'Further Action' document have been answered and yield a positive result) then this should be sufficient for a lender to be able to assess, and be able to lend on a property.


What further investigations do I need to carry out?

The investigations you will need to carry out will depend on why the property has received a 'Further Action'. Enquiries to the local council are usually recommended, as they should hold details including site investigations, planning requirements and landfill monitoring.

The council also have a statutory duty to assess land within their borough which they believe may be contaminated under guidelines set by Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Wilbourn Associates www.environmental-surveyors.com can check to see if the property in question falls within or close to any of these areas.

Please note that most council's will charge for a search for the information obtained from their records and may require payment before a search will begin.


How can we help?

Wilbourn Associates can provide tailor made services depending upon why the report received 'Further Action'. We can provide:

A letter report following formal enquiries to
the relevant authorities.

A visit to the property critically examining its
environmental setting, current and historical use.
Completion of the RICS property observation checklist,
formal enquiries of the relevant authorities with a
formal risk assessment in accordance with RICS
guidelines in the form of an environmental screening.

In both cases, we can also consider third party
reports in our commission.


How much will it cost?

For a letter report it will cost only £350.00 plus the cost of any enquiries and VAT.

If a site visit is required, the fee for a site of up to 1 hectare will be £750.00 plus cost of disbursements and VAT. For larger properties, please call us for a quote.

If there are other environmental documents which require interpretation, this will cost £95.00 per hour plus VAT.

How to instruct us.

We would need a written instruction either by post or to our email address: instructions@environmental-surveyors.com. We will also need the reference number found on the front page (in the format ES-12345678-1-12) but preferably a copy of the original report.

Please note, Wilbourn Associates are not provided with any reason as to why the original report was purchased. It will help us if you could tell us why the supplemental report is required.


How long will it take?

Wilbourn Associates aim to provide a report as quickly as possible, but much will depend upon how efficient local authorities are in providing the information we require.

Everything will be done to act as quickly as possible because we realise the need for swift decisive action to enable the project to progress.


Will we simply recommend future intrusive
investigation requiring significant cost to you?

No. This is because high quality strategic advice is normally sufficient. However, there may well be situations where discreet targeted work is needed and if a property is being redeveloped it is essential for planning and development purposes.

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