CL:AIRE is pleased to publish a new research bulletin RB22: Legacy Wastes in the Coastal Zone which is available to download here.

Legacy Wastes in the Coastal Zone: Environmental Risks and Management Futures was a four-year research project (2020-2024), funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The project brought together an interdisciplinary team of researchers (from the universities of Newcastle, Hull, Exeter, Leeds, Liverpool John Moores, Plymouth, Glasgow and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology) and partners (CL:AIRE, Environment Agency, National Trust, Natural Resources Wales, Haskoning, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Mining Remediation Authority). The team undertook a multi-scale assessment of the risks posed by municipal and mineral-rich legacy wastes in the coastal zone and provide a framework for their effective future management.

The National Brownfield Forum March 2026 meeting notes have now been published and are available to download here.

On 27 April, the Environment Agency published new guidance called MCERTS: performance standard for rapid measurement techniques for the chemical testing of soil. The guidance describes the certification process for rapid measurement techniques (RMTs) for the chemical testing of soil. Portable monitoring systems are field based analytical technologies used for the onsite chemical analysis of soil, which allow you to make real time decisions. The guidance applies to England and is available to download here.

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced an Expression of Interest opportunity for the Land Remediation Pathfinder Scheme (LRPS). LRPS is a £80 million pilot scheme funded by Defra to support local authorities, combined authorities, and mayoral development corporations in England over a period of four years to remediate contaminated land in situations where landfill tax makes the project financially unviable, across a small number of eligible sites in a selected group of environmental contexts: industrial, coastal landfill and urban. The closing date is 6pm on 8 May 2026. For further information visit the LRPS web pages here.

The UK Parliament Environmental Audit Committee has now published its report Addressing the risks from Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) following its inquiry and call for evidence in April 2025. The report is available to download here.  

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is consulting on a possible exemption from biodiversity net gain (BNG) for certain residential developments on brownfield land. Further information is available here. The consultation closes on 10 June 2026.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a consultation on the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) and it is now open for comments.

The consultation seeks stakeholder views on a range of legislative and non-legislative proposals to help reduce work-related ill health, one of HSE’s key strategic objectives. It also looks for options to reduce the burden on businesses, in making these reports to the regulator, through simplification of the reporting process. The consultation runs until 30 June 2026.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland has published a position paper for consultation as part of the development of national guidance for brownfield soil and stone by-product material. The guidance will clarify where brownfield soil and stone can be used as by-product or where it must be safely disposed of. This will assist developers and environmental consultants with brownfield soil by-product notifications. The planned guidance will use pollutant limit values for the protection of human and environmental health based on use scenarios and vulnerabilities of the site. Interim ambient concentrations are being examined for use as pollutant limit values for PFAS. Further information is available here. Stakeholders views to inform the guidance are being sought by 5pm on 15 May 2026. Observations and suggestions must be emailed to: byproduct@epa.ie

The Environmental Monitoring & Measurement Achievement Awards (the EMMAs) will return to Birmingham this year with an expanded scope, recognising excellence within the geoenvironmental and land remediation sector for the first time.

Taking place on Wednesday 16 September at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, the awards will be held on the first evening of Contamination & Land Remediation Expo (CLR Expo). The EMMAs will bring together leaders and innovators from across the environmental services sector to celebrate projects delivering measurable impact and recognise leaders advancing monitoring practices.