Simon Talbot, managing director of Ground-Gas Solutions, has worked for over 20 years on ground investigations and contaminated land issues with much of this time focusing on ground-gas contamination.
He will be speaking at Brownfield Briefing's Ground Gas 2009 conference on 18 November, so we caught up with him ahead of the event.
1. What do you predict will be major brownfield issues in 2020?
Mining valuable resources from former landfills and returning the sites to beneficial use.
2. If you could choose one regeneration project that you could magically complete right now, which would it be and why?
Regenerate the country's remaining Victorian terraced housing by constructing sustaining energy efficient housing that is fit for the next 100 years.
3. What do you think are the three biggest brownfield developments/ achievements from this year?
Media city - Salford Quays
New Islington - East Manchester
London Olympic site
4. If you could change one piece of legislation/regulation what would it be and why?
Change the existing contaminated land regime to one that is more pragmatic, less complicated and easier to use to affect change. The current system is far too bureaucratic and stifles innovation.
