The SiLC Annual Forum 2024 took place virtually on Wednesday 20th March and was Chaired by Tom Henman (SiLC PTP Chair)
This half day event brought together industry professionals for a stellar programme of presentations and discussions divided into two sessions; Current Developments in the Land Condition Sector and Looking into the Future.
There was additionally a panel discussion on ‘What regulators expect to see on the incorporation of climate change into land condition assessments’, chaired by Mark Hill (Climate & Sustainability – Lead at The Pensions Regulator).
More details regarding speakers and presentations can be found below. VIEW THE FULL EVENT PROGRAMME HERE.
To view the recording please email silc@silc.org.uk for the password.
Tickets are £72 for SiLC Members, £32.40 for Retired SiLC Members, and £111.60 for Non SiLCs. For Affiliate Schemes the rate is £70 per ticket, with Local Authority & Other Public Sectors, Jobseeking/Graduates and Students welcome to register free of charge. All prices include VAT.
PRESENTATIONS
Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment: A Systems Thinking Approach by Lucy Bethell (Senior Associate (Contaminated Land Specialist), Mott MacDonald)
The challenges associated with AMR can only be tackled by a systems thinking approach, as linked to the One Health Approach promoted by the World Health organisation. This presentation will give an introduction to AMR in the Environment, the challenges it brings and how a systems thinking approach must be used to start to tackle this global threat.
The Future of Land Condition and Sustainable Development by Freddie Kennedy (Associate Director at AtkinsRéalis )
Freddie will discuss opportunities for land condition professionals to have a more impactful role in shaping the sustainability performance of development projects. The presentation will feature Freddie’s forward-thinking ideas on how the industry can be reinvigorated, such as by adopting a broader scope to site assessment and remediation options appraisal.
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 for Land Condition Professionals by Emma Tattersdill (Partner (Environmental Law), Bexley Beaumont)
Emma will provide a brief overview of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 before exploring two areas of particular relevance to land condition professionals: Environmental Outcome Reports, which are set to replace the Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment regimes across the UK, and Nutrient Pollution Standards (relating to nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in water).
A Regulator’s Guide to Cover Systems and their Verification by Rae Watney (Senior Land Quality Officer at Sheffield City Council)
An overview of the new NCLOG guidance on Simple Cover Systems and their Verification. This document is intended to be a reference to help Local Authority officers provide a consistent approach to regulating the design and verification of simple cover systems. The document signposts and collates existing guidance and discusses and contextualises regular issues faced by regulators and consultants.
Healthy Soils as Part of a Sustainable Future by Bruce Lascelles (UK Director – Sustainable Land Management at Arcadis)
This short video will highlight the critical importance of healthy soils for our sustainable future and the multiple ecosystem services soils provide as a critical part of our life support system. Understanding these aspects of soils provides opportunities to increase the impact of land remediation projects in terms of sustainability, biodiversity and climate.
Future Policy and Regulation of Excavated Materials – Findings of a Recent SiLC/ CIRIA Soil CoP Stakeholder Workshop by Louise Beale (Integration Project Manager SLR Consulting, Deputy Chair SiLC PTP)
There is a widespread perception among regulators and the development sector that current approaches to regulation of excavated soils within the waste regulatory regime are not fit for purpose. They do not take account of the value of soil as a limited resource, as a carbon sink, load bearing horizon, water store, and its inherent value in supporting biodiversity. Equally, current approaches do not take account of circular economy principles and the need to divert waste away from landfill. SiLC and CIRIA held a workshop in January to identify potential improved regulatory and policy options for excavated soils. Key issues, desirable outcomes and perceived barriers were discussed and potential solutions presented and ranked.
Digital Data and AI: The role(s) of Artificial Intelligence Including Machine Learning in Land Contamination Risk Management by Paul Nathanail (Director, Land Quality Management Ltd)
Paul will discuss how Machine learning (ML), a subset of AI, uses processes or rules and statistical models to analyse and reach conclusions from patterns in data without following explicit instructions. He will go on to explore how large language models such as ChatGPT apply deep learning, a form of ML, to generate text from large datasets and how AI has a role to play in identifying patterns of contamination or migration; predicting the likelihood of contamination risks and ensuring land contamination management practices comply with regulations and standards.
Changing Weather, Changing our Approach to Land Remediation? by Claire Dickinson (Director at, Geo-environmental Matters)
With the news that the 1.5C threshold of global warming has been breached according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, what are we doing as Land Condition professionals to mitigate and adapt to our changing climate and increased frequency of extreme weather events? This presentation considers the impacts of climate change on some contaminant behaviour and whether there needs to be a shift in approach in response to the Climate Emergency.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Tom Henman (Director at RSK and Chair of SiLC PTP)
Tom has over 25 years’ experience in the assessment and management of land affected by contamination. His diverse and innovative project work has been recognised in several UK Brownfield Awards including major brownfield infrastructure and advice to Government on stakeholder engagement and risk communication. He has been actively involved with AGS, EIC, CIRIA and CL:AIRE and has worked with universities on collaborative research projects.
Emma Tattersdill (Partner (Environmental Law), Bexley Beaumont)
Emma is a solicitor specialising in environmental law. She works with businesses and individuals on all aspects of environmental regulation, contamination, water and waste management, nuisance issues and the natural environment. As well as supporting SiLC, Emma is a trustee of CL:AIRE and represents UKELA on the National Brownfield Forum.
Lucy Bethell (Technical Director, Mott MacDonald)
Lucy is a contaminated land specialist at Mott MacDonald and is a Specialist in Land Condition (SiLC). Lucy has been involved in Mott MacDonald’s AMR Working Group since 2019 and has a keen interest in emerging contaminants and big picture, cross discipline challenges.
Freddie Kennedy (Associate Director at AtkinsRéalis )
Freddie is a contaminated land and remediation specialist and Chartered Environmentalist. He has practiced as a land quality consultant and remediation contractor. Freddie has a diverse project portfolio, including a wide variety of former industrial sites and contemporary oil and gas assets.
Mark Hill (Climate & Sustainability – Lead at The Pensions Regulator)
Mark is the Climate and Sustainability Lead within The Pensions Regulator (TPR), responsible for developing the regulatory response to climate change and sustainability disclosure requirements and delivering TPR’s Climate Change Strategy. He brings some 30 years of experience working predominantly in the public sector.
Rae Watney (Senior Land Quality Officer at Sheffield City Council)
Rae has been a Local Authority Officer specialising in Contaminated Land for the last 4 years, and prior to that worked in Contaminated Land consultancy. She is active in local and national officer groups for NCLOG and YALPAG and is a member of the working group for the new NCLOG guidance on simple cover systems. In 2021, she won Best Young Brownfield Professional at the Brownfield Briefing awards.
Bruce Lascelles (UK Director – Sustainable Land Management at Arcadis)
Bruce is Past President of the British Society of Soil Science and has a PhD in Soil Science. He has focused on the inter-relationships between the physical environment and plant and animal communities (particularly around habitat creation and restoration), soil and hydrology impacts/benefits in relation land use change and on surveying soil and land use types across the UK.
Louise Beale (Integration Project Manager SLR Consulting, Deputy Chair SiLC PTP)
Louise has worked in environmental consultancy for 30 years advising clients on land quality issues associated with the ownership and development of brownfield land including material reuse. She has been deputy chair of the SILC PTP since 2022 and a member of the PTP since 2019.
Paul Nathanail (Director, Land Quality Management Ltd)
Paul is a Director of LQM – a specialist consultancy innovating in risk-based land management. His interest in machine learning began in the 1980s when he applied geostatistics to model large volumes of methane monitoring results and today revolves around work on “big” data applications of ML for ground characterisation.
Claire Dickinson (Director at, Geo-environmental Matters)
Bringing over 30 years of experience in UK land development, Claire is a contaminated land specialist with a background in geotechnical engineering.. She combines running her consultancy with lecturing at the University of Portsmouth. Claire is part of the research team producing online resources for the CIRIA’s Soil Community of Practice
Robert Tyler (Senior Contaminated Land Officer, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) – Panel Speaker
Robert Tyler has dealt with contaminated land in local government for over 20 years and for the last 15 years has worked in London. Apart from the full range of Part 2A and planning work, career highlights have included working on the 2012 Olympics (whilst at LB Hackney), more recently being directly involved in the Grenfell Environmental Checks process (RB Kensington and Chelsea) and serving the communities he’s worked for. Robert is also a committee member of the National Contaminated Land Officer’s Group.
Katy Baker (Senior Technical Director, Arcadis) – Panel Speaker
With 22 years experience in brownfield site management, specialising in land contamination risk assessment, Katy supports clients throughout all stages of their asset and across multiple sectors. In 2023, she led a team in Arcadis developing a framework and tool, Climate:CLEAR, to support with predicting the potential impact of climate change on land contamination conceptual site models.
Mark Field (Bid Director, VertaseFLI) – Panel Speaker
Mark has worked in the brownfield regeneration sector for over 20 years having roles within Industry, regulation and consultancy, before spending the last 16 years working for VertaseFLI, a contaminated land, brownfield and environmental contracting specialist. Mark is a SilC, SQP and a qualified person (DoWCoP), and sits on CIWEMS Contaminated Land Panal and SilCs Professional and Technical Panel.
Heidi Bignell (Technical Advisor, Land and Contamination Management, Environment Agency) – Panel Speaker
Educated at the University of Leeds and the University of Southampton, Heidi started her career working for the UK Hydrographic Office. She moved to the Environment Agency in 2004. She started her current role in 2014 and has been the lead on climate change for Land Contamination since 2023.
James Bryan – (Climate Change Advisor, Environment Agency) – Panel Speaker
James has worked several roles within the EA and latterly as a climate change advisor. Some significant works includes; developing strategy to reduce methane leaks from regulated facilities, Producing report on impact of climate change on chemicals; and having written guidance on assessing climate change in contaminated land risk assessment.
SPONSORSHIP
We have two sponsorship packages available for companies who wish to support the upcoming SiLC Annual Forum 2024. View full package details here.
Sponsorship closes on Friday 2nd February. For more information contact Angharad Lambourne-Wade via email at silc@silc.org.uk.
SPONSORS
Statom Group
Statom Group are an exemplar of quality client-contractor collaborative working, within remediation, groundworks and concrete frame projects. We respond to our client’s requirements with our specialist in-house remediation and works division, and focus on value engineering, delivering quality projects. Statom Group provide a one-stop shop for all site preparation operations. www.statom.co.uk
Hydrock
A leading British-owned engineering design, energy and sustainability consultancy, who shape places, communities and infrastructure for a sustainable future. It’s our job to create places that are safe, inspire, respect the environment and deliver value for users, owners and investors. www.hydrock.com
Element Environmental
Element Environmental operates a network of accredited testing facilities to help customers across all industries meet their environmental obligations through a comprehensive range of laboratory and field-based testing services. Element specialise in testing drinking water, groundwater, surface and wastewater, soil testing, sediments, solid waste, drilling waste, stack emissions testing, ambient air quality sampling. www.element.com/environmental-testing
Vertase
VertaseFLI is a client focused remediation and enabling contractor. Technical excellence and innovation has always been at the core of our offering and we have been strong supporters of SilC since its inception. Our strong technical understanding has allowed us to work on and deliver some of the most problematic remediation sites in the UK, utilising a wide range of remediation technologies.
www.vertasefli.co.uk
RemedX
RemedX is a specialist provider of contaminated land contracting solutions that focuses on technical soil and groundwater remediation projects. Leading the field in remediation for more than 20 years, RemedX have completed a portfolio of diverse national and international projects, from supplying process-based remediation systems to large-scale, multidisciplinary, contaminated land remediation schemes.
www.remedx.co.uk/
GHD
GHD recognises and understands the world is constantly changing. And we are committed to solving the world’s biggest challenges in relation to water, energy and across communities. We are a global professional services company that leads through engineering, construction and architectural expertise. Our forward-looking, innovative approaches connect and sustain communities worldwide. Delivering extraordinary social and economic outcomes, we are focused on building lasting relationships with our partners and clients.
www.ghd.com
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