The Land Quality Statement is accepted methodology in accordance with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors guidance note 'Contamination and Environmental Matters: their implications for property professionals' published by RICS Books and dated December 2003.

It is ideal for development sites, particularly where there is a history of potentially contaminative uses.

The Land Quality Statement comprises a Phase I desktop study with a non-intrusive site inspection and enquiries to the Planning, Environmental Health and Building Control departments of the relevant Local Authority, the relevant Water Company, the British Geological Survey (BGS) and the State Veterinary Service of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in order to provide a detailed picture of potential contamination issues and to attribute the site with a level of environmental risk.

Available for any property in the United Kingdom, the Land Quality Statement includes:

• Examination of historical maps and archive records;
• Consultation with statutory authorities and examination of public registers;
• Examination of local authority records eg. Planning and Environmental Health
• Examination of data held by the Environment Agency and water companies;
• An outline of the underlying geology and mining position;
• Assessment of hydrological and hydrogeological features and the vulnerability of surface and groundwater resources;
• The proximity of current licensed waste management facilities;
• An assessment of ground gas susceptibility;
• A review of any available site investigation reports for the site;
• A detailed site inspection with photographic record;
• A preliminary conceptual site model identifying source-pathway-receptor linkages where redevelopment of the site is proposed; and
• The compilation of a schedule for site investigation works should this be deemed necessary.

Having regard to all the available information a risk assessment is compiled to answer questions which are relevant to most property transactions alongside a consideration of the site and its likely status under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.