9.00 Registration and Refreshments   

9.30 Welcome from Environment Analyst 

9.35 Opening Remarks from the Chair 

 

9.40 Scottish Government Contaminated Land Update 

 

Outlining progress to date on development of the State of Contaminated Land Report and how the Scottish Government is working with Local Authorities to achieve brownfield and contaminated land objectives. 

 

Madeleine Berg, Senior Policy Adviser, Contaminated Land, The Scottish Government 

 

10.05 Regulatory & Policy Update  

 

10.30 Morning Refreshments & Networking 

 

11.00 Leveraging Brownfield Land as a Development Enabler to Meet Scotland’s Placemaking & Climate Goals 

• Harnessing brownfield registers and land assembly as tools to identify, acquire and prepare land for development  

• Evaluating the progress of Local Authority Local Development Plans and the impact of these  

• Discussing what changes are required with regards to policy and funding to unlock stalled urban sites and meet the objectives of NPF4: 

• integrating vacant & derelict land (VDL) and remediation funding with wider local economic regeneration grants 

• using tax and fiscal incentives to support urban development 

• re-purposing ownerless land and property to enable community-led regeneration 

• overcoming resource and skills deficit issues  

• Optimising brownfield sites not suitable for housing for alternative development: 

• to what extent can temporary, “meanwhile” uses and phased landscapes generate social value, community benefit and place identity during remediation phases?  

• effectively using specific features of brownfield sites for renewable energy generation (eg old mine workings for mine water district heating)  

 

12.00 Detailing how the Insurance Industry Manages Land Contamination Risks 

• Defining risk vs liability  

• Examining how possible liabilities change at different phases of development  

• Exploring what can and cannot be insured 

• Outlining how to make your project more insurable and reduce risk 

 

12.20 Integrating SuDS into Complex, Historically Contaminated Brownfield Sites 

 

12.45 Networking Lunch 

 

13.45 Roundtable Discussion Session 

This ever-popular session gives all attendees the opportunity to discuss a key topic of interest in a focused, interactive, and small-group format. Each session will be led by a facilitator who will lead the discussion and encourage maximum debate and sharing of ideas. Attendees choose ONE topic table to attend.   

 

14.30 Afternoon Refreshments & Networking  

 

15.00 Sustainable Analysis – Right Results First Time   

 

This presentation will demonstrate, through practical examples, how effective laboratory operations can deliver sustainable analytical services by maintaining operational resilience in the face of challenges and changing demands which helps to ensure that accurate, reliable results can be delivered the first time, every time.   

 

The presentation will examine the systems, processes, and expertise required to ensure data quality, minimise re-work, and maintain customer confidence, including:    

• The importance of robust quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) practices  

• Instrument redundancy and contingency planning for equipment failures   

• Strategies for managing increased sample volumes during environmental incidents   

• Maintaining accreditation standards, such as ISO 17025, and the value of cross-trained staff in supporting critical laboratory functions  

 

It will also provide insights into the key performance indicators used to measure success, including turn-around time maintenance, data quality under high workloads, recovery time following equipment failures, and proficiency testing performance.   

  

Claire Stone, Governance Director, Normec i2 Analytical  

 

15.20 Assessing how to Manage the Impacts of Climate Change on Risk Assessment and Remediation  

• Outlining future climate projections and their impact on the Conceptual Site Model (CSM) baseline  

• How is this being managed on the ground with regards to site investigation and sampling?   

• Assessing how the impact of climate change should be accounted for within site investigation design: 

• effect on contaminant source-receptor pathway linkages 

• incorporating climate change within the generic (GQRA) and detailed (DQRA) risk assessments 

• Strategies for developing climate-resilient remediation strategies: 

• assessing the impact on the long-term performance and verification of different remediation solutions  

 

16.00 Optimising Data to Develop a Robust, Effective and Site-Specific Conceptual Site Model (CSM) 

• Effectively interrogating desk studies and relied-upon information to accurately characterise the site 

• Accounting for and managing incomplete or sparse data and uncertainties for improved decision-making  

• Balancing adequate data collection with the restrictions of financial budgets, and resources, including staff time 

•  Evaluating the use of AI and digital tools to improve and refine data: 

• what is the trade-off with technical and professional competence? 

• to what extent can the suspected use of AI for report-writing be challenged? 

• identifying appropriate checks and balances for the sector to enable “safe” and confident use of AI   

 

16.30 Closing Remarks from the Chair followed by a Complimentary Networking Drinks Reception