Contaminated soil we see a lot in old neighborhoods and with old homes. But what about new housing developments and new construction? Are you actually at risk there of contaminated soil at the property? Many homeowners, home seekers and also many real estate agents think that contaminated soil in new construction is out of the question. They think this is because new housing developments require extensive soil testing and if contamination is found, the contamination would have to be remediated before construction can begin.
But beware: nothing could be further from the truth! There is indeed a chance of contaminated soil in a new construction! A good example is the new housing estate “Fascinatio” in Capelle aan den IJssel. This relatively new neighborhood was built in 2006. This neighborhood was built on Harbor Sludge and the subsoil did get seriously contaminated. This contamination is also legally recorded in all property papers and at the land registry. The reason that living there is possible and allowed is because there is a living layer of 1 meter which separates the topsoil from the highly contaminated subsoil. However, property owners are bound by use restrictions. Thus, they are prohibited from digging deeper than 110 cm on their plots.
New construction can indeed so stand on contaminated soil!