Residential Soil Testing: 71 Properties, 7 Designated High Risk — and What the Council Can Already Do

Residential Soil Testing: What Has Been Found

Wyre Council’s multi-agency investigation has now tested 71 residential properties in the area surrounding the Hillhouse industrial estate. The key findings from residential testing to date:

• PFOA was found in the majority of residential properties tested
• 7 properties have been designated “high risk” based on soil contamination levels
• No residential property has yet been formally designated as Contaminated Land under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990

[Note: The 71 properties figure and 7 high-risk designation are from Wyre Council’s multi-agency investigation programme. The specific report or letter containing these figures is to be confirmed — the primary document will be cited here when identified.]

The first residential property for which full Phase 3 data became publicly available (WSP code SP510) had PFOA at every one of its 25 sample points exceeding the Dutch PFOA soil benchmark of 3.8 µg/kg. The peak reading of 119 µg/kg was at the maximum sampling depth of 0.60m, where contamination was still increasing when sampling stopped.

Attribution note: Soil contamination in the area may reflect contributions from multiple sources over decades, including legacy ICI operations, current operations, atmospheric deposition, and shared estate infrastructure. Source attribution for residential soil contamination has not been published.

The Part 2A Status

The only Part 2A Contaminated Land designation made to date in this investigation covers Occupation Road Allotments (5 March 2026). The Environment Agency concluded this site meets the statutory criteria because PFOA was found in both soil samples and produce grown on the allotments — confirming that plant uptake of PFAS was occurring.

Wyre Council has stated explicitly that “no conclusions have been reached, nor any decisions made, regarding the Contaminated Land status of any other areas of land.” This means that the 7 high-risk residential properties — while designated high risk — do not currently carry formal Part 2A status.

Part 2A is a statutory threshold with legal consequences: it requires the local authority to identify those responsible and secure remediation. Below that threshold, no equivalent obligation arises.

The Planning Moratorium Question

Wyre Council requested that the government issue a planning moratorium for the area near the Hillhouse estate — a formal mechanism that would have restricted new development in the affected area while the contamination investigation continues.

The government refused that request. [Source document for the moratorium request and refusal to be confirmed — if you have the primary document, please get in touch.]

However, there is a legal context that is relevant here: Wyre Council is itself the local planning authority for Thornton-Cleveleys. Local planning authorities have existing statutory powers under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 — including the ability to:

• Attach conditions to planning permissions relating to land contamination
• Refuse planning permission where material considerations — including site contamination — are not satisfactorily addressed
• Defer determination of applications where investigations are ongoing

These powers exist independently of any government-issued moratorium. A planning moratorium from central government would have provided a stronger mechanism with national backing. But the absence of one does not mean the council lacks the ability to take contamination into account in its planning decisions.

What is not established: Whether Wyre Council has used or intends to use existing planning powers in relation to contamination near the Hillhouse estate. Whether the council has sought legal advice on this question. The reasoning for seeking a government moratorium rather than acting under existing powers.

Attribution note: This section does not attribute intent or knowledge to any named individual. It documents the publicly available legal framework and the documented facts of the moratorium request and refusal.

What This Creates — Documented Gaps

The current position produces the following documented situation:

• 71 residential properties tested; majority contain PFOA; 7 designated high risk
• No residential Part 2A designation
• Part 2A currently applies only to one allotment site
• Central government declined to issue a planning moratorium
• The implementing local authority has existing planning powers that do not require a moratorium
• Whether those powers are being applied to new planning applications in the affected area is not publicly documented

These are not editorial judgements. They are statements of the current regulatory position derived from publicly available documents and legal framework.

Outstanding Questions

1. On what basis were 7 properties designated “high risk” — what threshold was used?
2. Of the 71 tested properties, how many exceeded the Dutch PFOA benchmark (3.8 µg/kg)? How many exceeded the Occupation Road Allotments designation threshold?
3. What criteria would need to be met for a residential property to receive a Part 2A designation?
4. What consideration is Wyre Council giving to existing planning authority powers in relation to new applications near the Hillhouse estate?
5. Has the council sought legal advice on applying planning conditions relating to PFAS contamination?

Sources: Wyre Council Phase 3 residential testing (Wyre Council multi-agency investigation updates); Wyre Council, 5 March 2026 (further steps statement); Wyre Council letter ref 1908990571, 27 February 2026 (WSP Phase 3 results for SP510). Planning law framework: Town and Country Planning Act 1990; Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Part 2A).