CL:AIRE's charitable remit is to encourage discussion and debate of important issues in the world of sustainable land reuse.
If you would like to submit an article on the latest developments in your field, or have an idea for a topic you would like CL:AIRE to cover, please email enquiries@claire.co.uk
All articles are reviewed in-house to ensure quality and independence.
News of particular interest to DoWCoP QPs.
CL:AIRE is heavily involved with a number of projects and industry-led initiatives (e.g. on waste reuse, sustainable remediation, asbestos in soil, etc) and plays a significant role in the dissemination of useful, relevant and peer-reviewed information on issues affecting the brownfield and contaminated land sector. CL:AIRE also encourages project partners to undertake technology demonstration and research projects (“CL:AIRE projects”) to raise the contaminated land industry's awareness of, and confidence in, technologies that have been applied on real sites.
CL:AIRE actively seeks the participation of site owners, consultants, developers, remediation companies, technology providers and academics to become project partners.
For more information about any of these projects or services that we may be able to provide, please contact one of CL:AIRE’s project team by phone on 020 7299 4250 or by email – Nicola Harries, Rob Sweeney, and Nick Willenbrock.
Establishing a partnership with CL:AIRE will provide a range of key benefits:
The DoW CoP provides a clear, consistent and efficient process which enables the reuse of excavated materials on-site or their movement between sites.
Use of the DoW CoP supports the sustainable and cost-effective development of land. It can provide an alternative to Environmental Permits or Waste Exemptions.
The DoW CoP enables:
The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
SuRF-UK is the United Kingdom’s Sustainable Remediation Forum – an initiative set up to progress the UK understanding of sustainable remediation and sustainable land management. SuRF-UK is also a member of International Sustainable Remediation Alliance (ISRA).
If you are interested in the work of SuRF-UK, please contact Nicola Harries (nicola.harries@claire.co.uk).
We recognise that there is a lot of information, so we have provided the SuRF-UK User Guides to get you started. Further information is provided in the SuRF-UK Roadmap below.
Discover more about sustainable remediation |
Share information and raise awareness of sustainable remediation |
Apply sustainable remediation on a project |
Starting point: Animation. |
Starting point: Animation. Key Reading: |
Key Reading:
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Framework |
SuRF-UK Framework | ||
Executing |
Sustainable Management Practices Report and Spreadsheet 2021 | ||
Project Framing and Planning a Sustainability Assessment | |||
Tier 1- Qualitative Assessment Links to guidance |
Tier 2 - Semi-quantitative Assessment Links to guidance |
Tier 3 - Quantitative Assessment Links to guidance |
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Supporting |
Illustrative Case Studies, reports, information sources |
To navigate through the SuRF-UK web pages, please hover over the relevant section that you require on the road map and short cuts will direct you to the relevant page, alternatively navigate using the articles index below.
The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
SuRF-UK is the United Kingdom’s Sustainable Remediation Forum – an initiative set up to progress the UK understanding of sustainable remediation. SuRF-UK is also a member of International Sustainable Remediation Alliance (ISRA).
SuRF-UK Framework and Annex 1 - Indicator Set | |||
SuRF-UK Indicator Report | |||
Sustainable Management Practices | |||
Tier 1- Qualitative Assessment SuRF-UK Briefcase |
Tier 2 - Semi-quantitative Assessment Links to guidance |
Tier 3 - Quantitative Assessment Links to guidance |
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Illustrative Case Studies, reports, information sources SuRF-UK Case Studies and Bulletins, Journal Papers, SuRF-UK webinar |
To navigate through the SuRF-UK web pages, please hover over the relevant section that you require on the road map and short cuts will direct you to the relevant page, alternatively navigate using the articles index on the right.
NQMS Number of Declarations & SQPsThe National Quality Mark Scheme for Land Contamination Management (NQMS) is a scheme that has been developed by the National Brownfield Forum (formerly known as Land Forum) to provide visible identification of documents that have been checked for quality by a Suitably Qualified and experienced Person (SQP). It provides increased confidence and improved quality of submissions made under regulatory regimes, particularly planning applications, related to previously used land.
The National Brownfield Forum has facilitated the development of this nationally recognised system for ensuring a satisfactory standard of work that, through endorsement by the Forum and through joint ownership by National Brownfield Forum members, can be considered to have support and acceptance across the community.
The initiative is supported in principle by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and a positive response has also been received from individual devolved administrations.
Framework of Scheme |
Overview of NQMS Scheme | ||
Brief introduction to NQMS scheme | |||
What is a Suitably Qualified Person (SQP)? | |||
The NQMS Process |
The NQMS Declaration Process | ||
SQP Register | Brownfields Skills Framework | Water & Land Library (WALL) | |
Useful Information & Links |
Accredited Risk Assessor Training Provider - SoBRA |
To navigate through the NQMS web pages, please hover over the relevant section that you require on the road map and short cuts will direct you to the relevant page, alternatively navigate using the articles index on the right.
The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
The Gas Protection Verification Accreditation Scheme (GPVS) is a scheme that seeks to raise standards in membrane inspection, verification and reporting and provide all stakeholders involved in land contamination management with confidence that risks associated with ground gases have been adequately managed. The scheme applies to both the practical installation of the gas mitigation measures and to the verification reporting process. Recognising different personnel often undertake inspection and reporting, there are two separate accreditation routes to demonstrate competence ‘Specialist in Gas Protection Verification’ (SGPV) and ‘Technician in Gas Protection Verification’ (TGPV).
To navigate through the GPVS web pages, please navigate using the articles index on the right.
The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
The following documents can be downloaded:
The ReCon Soil project is studying the potential reuse of surplus materials from the construction industry.
Waste from the construction industry could provide a safe and sustainable source of healthy soils thanks to a new cross-Channel research project.
The €2.5million ReCon Soil project, supported by €1.8million from the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg France (Channel) England programme, started in April 2021 and will run until June 2023.
It brings together scientists, industry and educators to revolutionise how waste material from construction projects is managed, both from a scientific and regulatory perspective.
The project aims to halt the amounts being paid by the industry to dispose of waste soil from building sites across the UK and France – currently estimated at more than €3.5billion per annum
ReCon Soil is being led by researchers at the University of Plymouth (UK), who have extensive experience in the development of reconstructed soils and the wider physical and social impacts of soil erosion and degradation. Working with a range of partners in the UK and France, they will develop and roll out at least three new soil recipes made from locally-sourced construction waste and agricultural by-products. These recipes will initially be thoroughly investigated in laboratories in Plymouth, and then at sites in the UK and France, to monitor their effectiveness and potential environmental impact. The data from those studies will then be incorporated into blueprints detailing when and where the soils can be deployed, and any amendments needed to ensure their effective deployment.
The project will also train 200 workers, helping to take reconstructed soils from research to commercialisation.
The world is hugely reliant on good quality soils for food security and their ability to store carbon. However, soils are under both human and climate pressures which means there is a need to develop resilient and sustainable alternatives. Human intervention to sustain and improve soil was an ancient practice in the Amazon Basin and reconstructed soils can unquestionably be part of future solutions to soil health and climate mitigation. This project offers the exciting prospect of focussing the scientific and practical expertise of the project team to develop healthy soils and enable this process to be rolled out in the UK, France and beyond.Mark Fitzsimons
Professor of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Plymouth
Recon Soil Project Principal Investigator
Read More
The University of Plymouth is home to world-leading researchers in various aspects of soil research. Working with partners including the world-famous Eden Project, it has over a decade of expertise in the design and manufacture of reconstructed soils. This includes measuring the effectiveness of soil recipes and the nutrients that need adding to ensure optimum mixes and working with industry and agriculture to ensure they are fit for purpose.
It has also led internationally significant research in Europe, Africa and South America looking at the causes and effects of soil degradation. That research has suggested that an interdisciplinary approach – which includes engaging local communities – is the only way to secure real and lasting change and avoid such devastating impacts on traditional farming landscapes.
CL:AIRE is an educational charity that works with industry, through its membership, to identify common problems in the field of sustainable land management. Using its extensive experience of developing industry-led initiatives, it works with highly respected experts and government to develop solutions which are tested and critiqued by our Members to ensure they are fit for purpose. It promotes innovative materials management and brownfield redevelopment including contaminated land remediation across a number of sectors and has a breadth of expertise in technology development, dissemination and knowledge transfer.
CL:AIRE independent technical advisory group, the Technology and Research Group (TRG), is made up of leading land contamination practitioners who provide transparent review of CL:AIRE’s outputs which include an extensive range of materials for technical and non-technical audiences, including bulletins, reports, webinars, videos and animations.
Eden Project Learning (EPL) is an educational partnership between the Eden Project and The Cornwall College Group and offers undergraduates and postgraduates the opportunity to gain recognised qualifications from HNC to MSc, while gaining practical hands-on experience in an extraordinary learning environment at Eden Project, UK.
EPL is one of the largest degree level plant science groups in the UK, with soil science as a core component of all education programmes. Based at the Eden Project, EPL has unique access to the Eden Project biomes, labs, and 20-year-old soils constructed from waste materials and alongside the ReCon Soil project partners, EPL shares decades of expertise in the design and manufacture of reconstructed soils.
EPL soils and plant science physiological expertise will have substantial input in ReCon Soil project work packages, developing soil recipes and investigating through plant growth experiments and plant/soils analysis. Through its public engagement at Eden Project and Citizen Science, as well as through training a range of beneficiary/stakeholder groups, EPL will be a key partner on the ReCon Soil project as a prominent outreach platform via Eden Project, communicating scientific plant and soils knowledge to the public (approx. 7000 visitors per day).
The Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM) in Normandy, France, is the national geological service and is the benchmark public establishment in France for the application of Earth sciences to manage the resources and risks of the soil and subsoil with a view to sustainable development.
BRGM's role within the ReCon Soil project is to:
Comité d’Action Technique et Economique (CATÉ), Bretagne, is an experimental centre based in the heart of the vegetable and horticultural production area of Brittany. The station carries out regional, national and European programmes of experimentation on fresh vegetables, ornamental horticulture and cultivated mushrooms. These programmes seek to resolve technical issues which may be encountered in production and develop the diversification and segmentation of the products.
Located in St Pol de Léon, in the heart of the vegetable and horticultural area of Brittany, the station conducts regional and national experimental programs in fresh vegetables, ornamental horticulture and cultivated mushrooms. These programs aim to solve the technical problems encountered in production or to respond to changes in consumption.
At the heart of the concerns of the University of Le Havre Normandie, is the dissemination of scientific culture at the interface of several major axes: the access of all citizens to scientific knowledge, the development of a taste for science in the youngest and enhancement of scientific and technical heritage.
On the strength of the dynamism of its research structures, the University of Le Havre Normandie has initiated the organization of numerous scientific events, the publication of scientific works, in particular within the framework of a publication service carried out both by the University of Rouen Normandy and the University of Le Havre Normandy, or the organization of scientific mediation actions for the general public.
University of East Anglia is a partner organisation in this cross-Channel research project, bringing expertise in soil science, spatial analysis and environmental economics.
The Research Excellence Framework assessment (2014) showed that over 82% of UEA's research activity was "world-leading" or "internationally excellent”. The School of Environmental Sciences is one of the longest established, largest and most fully developed interdisciplinary institutions of its kind in Europe. In 2017, The Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, was awarded to the School, marking 50 years of ground-breaking environmental science research and teaching.
Read MoreThe ReCon Soil Project will establish low-carbon technology networks, with members from the construction, agricultural, conservation, and public sectors.
These networks will focus on contributions from five key sectors:
Read More
The following positions are available as part of the ReCon Soil Project.
Please contact the establishments directly if you are interested.
Position |
Location |
Details |
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Post Doctoral Reconstructed Soils from Waste |
Laboratoire Ondes et Milieux Complexes FRANCE |
CL:AIRE's Membership Scheme has two branches:
CL:AIRE supports a broad range of research interests into the characterisation, monitoring and remediation of contaminated land and is involved in the Research Projects which can be viewed and searched in the list on the right.
CL:AIRE projects are either technology demonstration projects (TDPs) or research projects (RPs) and they cover site investigation techniques, monitoring or remediation solutions.