‘He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith’: 1 Challenges for Contaminated Land Remediation after Brexit

Abstract

Eight years have passed since the Contaminated Land Capital Projects (CLCP) funding was abolished in Wales; this was the main source of public sector funding for contaminated land identification and remediation. Yet, despite the CLCP’s abolition in 2010, the Welsh Government announced in October 2018 that it would assist in funding a significant proportion (some 60%) of the remediation of a residential site in Anglesey. Research into the site’s remediation has showed that this public sector engagement has been made possible by EU funding. However, the replenishment of the Welsh Government’s funds is not wholly uplifting. In fact, the situation gives rise to a deep sense of foreboding. It ultimately leads to questions as to what will happen to land remediation following Brexit, when European funding is no longer available to supplement the public sector’s purse.