Building Near Landfill Sites
The issue with developing housing around such site is compounded by such issues as the stack effect, that is warm indoor air being less dense than the exterior cold air and so creating an area of lower pressure inside a property, which will encourage the ingress of gas. This gas can concentrate in any subfloor void (i.e. basements or gaps created below the floor slab due to settlement) or even in cupboards. It can also enter the building in any gaps left in the construction of the property or created during settlement.
"Waste management Paper 27" from the U.K. Department of the Environment recommends consultation with the relevant local authority if any proposed development is to be less than 250m from the site boundary that has received waste in the last 30 years.
The 250 m is not a definitive insomuch as landfill gas will not be present outside or conversely present within this distance, due to the varied factors contributing to landfill gas migration. Due to this fact there should always be a thorough site investigation if a development is taking place within the 250 m zone or if there is a suspicion of any hazardous gas being present.
Read more about this topic: Gas Protection
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