The term 'contaminated land' has a specific meaning under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Contaminated land is defined under Part 2A as:
"any land which appears to the local authority whose area it is situated to be in such a condition, by reason of substances in, on or under the land, that –
(a) significant harm is being caused or there is a significant possibility of such harm being caused, or
(b) significant pollution of controlled waters is being caused or there is a significant possibility of such pollution being caused."
Where harm is attributable to radioactivity, the definition of contaminated land has been modified as:
"any land which appears to the local authority whose area it is situated to be in such a condition, by reason of substances in, on or under the land, that –
(a) harm is being caused, or
(b) there is a significant possibility of such harm being caused."
The definition does not necessarily include all land where contamination is present.
