History

The safety implications of land use development in the vicinity of major accident hazard sites were first recognised in the late 1960s. In 1972 planning authorities were advised to consult HM Factory Inspectorate (now part of HSE), before granting planning permission for certain classes of development (known as major hazards) and for other development in the vicinity of existing major hazard sites.

In 1974 an explosion at a chemical works in Flixborough, Humberside killed 28 people on site and caused extensive damage to properties some distance away. Following this, a committee of experts, the Advisory Committee on Major Hazards (ACMH) was established to review all aspects of safety at and around major hazard sites. The ACMH produced three reports in which they proposed a strategy which included the mitigation of the consequences of any major accidents that could occur.

Control of development in the vicinity of major hazard sites was identified as a key element in mitigation. The ACMH established principles which still govern HSE’s policy in this area; they recognised that complete ‘sterilisation’ of land around such sites was not practicable but that ‘The overall objective should always be to reduce the number of people at risk’ and ‘it is wise to avoid a substantial growth in population near an existing installation’.

Arrangements were introduced for local planning authorities to consult HSE for advice about risks from major hazard sites and the potential effect on populations nearby when considering applications for planning permission around such sites.

After a series of other major incidents elsewhere in Europe, the European Commission Directive on the Major Accident Hazards of Certain Industrial Activities (known as the Seveso Directive) was adopted in June 1982. The Seveso Directive, which was amended in 1997 and 2003, requires EC Member States to ‘ensure that the objectives of preventing major accidents and limiting the consequences of such accidents are taken into account in their land-use policies and/or other relevant policies’. The measures which should be taken to achieve these objectives include controls on new developments in the vicinity of existing hazardous installations and on the siting of new hazardous installations.

Over the years, HSE has developed the way in which it deals with consultations on proposed developments around major hazard sites and pipelines. HSE’s approach balances the principle of stabilising and not increasing the numbers at risk with a pragmatic awareness of the limited land available for development in the UK.