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A condition of my planning permission is a Phase II land contamination report. Rather than an expensive report (I've been quoted thousands of pounds) the Environmental Protection Officer will accept bore holes and factual logs as long as I submit a Watching Brief. Begrudging paying any more fees, I want to do the Watching Brief myself, but does anyone know if the council will accept this?

IT's OK I am not literally doing that ... But I almost have everything ready to submit for planning and the last thing i was asked for is a desktop/phase1/soil survey ? And i have been trying I have contacted several companies . a) Some said they would get back to me ...but haven't b)Some insisted i should buy a "walkover" (it's a 40m x 10m plot in a meadow behind and was basically a "garden extension" for 30 years c)Some I contacted seemed to get hung up on the fact that i have been advised (to consider by the planners) that 40yrs ago ...there was a landfill under 250m away, should i be worried ? ..Well in the last 10 years they have allowed builds ..ON the landfill, next to the landfill and ..between my little plot and the landfill ...in fact there is very little green area left ..I am talking ESTATES with hundreds of Houses, Maisonettes, Shops and a Community centre ...oh and a school! all these surveys and fees and consultations and stuff are mounting up ...can anyone tell me the cheapest way to provide the council planners what they need here ? I mean its great soil ...great drainage..it used to be a paddock for grazing ponies. the problem is officials only every see it on a map ...if they actually stood there ...I am sure they would think coughing up another £500 for some guy with 7 letters after his name in a hazmat suit to kneel down with tweezers and a test tube is as crackers as opening a lap dancing bar in Kabul!