No, we carry out intrusive ground investigations as well. If the Desk Study indicates there to be issues with a site, we will automatically provide a separate specification for work (so you can get like-for-like quotes) and we will provide our own competitive quotation at the same time. If you require a more bespoke service and/or a ground investigation, it is best to contact us via our Land Science website. 

Traditionally, as the name suggests, a Desk Study is review of available data, maps and records for a property, without leaving the office. These have been extended to include search enquiries with 3rd parties such as Local Authorities, bomb risk experts, and utility companies.

These are often referred to a Phase I assessment. This is usually in context of a contaminated land risk assessment framework including Phase II (intrusive survey) and phase III (remediation). This terminology is being commonly used in ground engineering reports. Indeed, ground engineering and contaminated land reports are often carried out simultaneously and combined.

Environmental Permitting, Environmental Impact Assessments, or Environmental Statements.

Other cheaper screening reports may be available, but they are seldom suitable particularly for redevelopment or land transactions. A phrase along the lines of “unlikely to be Contaminated Land under Part 2A of the Environment Act 1990” is definitely not saying a site is safe or risk free. A standard CON29 solicitor’s enquiry is also not a detailed assessment. At best, these sorts of reports should be used for screening purposes only.

Feel free to provide a copy of any existing reports you have, and we can give a second opinion (see below).  

We are able to review of 3rd party desk study and ground investigation reports, based on an hourly consultancy rate. The minimum charge is 1hr. Please provide us a copy of the report(s) all relevant information, and an indication of what you require: We will reply with a time estimate and you can then decide whether to proceed. Objectives may be: 

I’m buying a site and the seller has provided a report – what does it mean?  
I have a report and further work is recommended – is that reasonable?

That depends a lot on the property in question and the purpose of the report.

Yes, but not instead of us carrying out a walkover. The purpose of a walkover is to look for physical signs and evidence of areas of concern, and it gives you peace of mind knowing that a professional survey has taken place. 

Read our Terms & Conditions. We endeavour to keep these up to date, but the report will contain the most current version. 

We will consider account facilities for established commercial clients with a satisfactory trading history with Land Science and suitable credit checks. Otherwise, we require all payment to be upfront through our payment gateway which is 100% secure. Payments by cheque or online banking are accepted but will not commence until we have cleared funds, and this may delay us starting your project. 

Yes.