Search didn’t show we were in a COMAH zone

JAMES61

We bought our house around 17 years ago and we did everything including a full survey and local search. Recently we found that we are in a COMAH zone but this didn’t show up on the search when we bought the house. It has been a COMAH zone for decades. Who do we approach for help?

user1977

Was that one of the questions on the search?

ProDave

To save others using google as I had to:

https://www.groundsure.com/what-are-comah-sites-and-why-should-i-care/

Understanding COMAH Sites

COMAH stands for Control of Major Accident Hazards4. It is a set of regulations in the United Kingdom that apply to any establishment storing or handling large quantities of industrial chemicals of a hazardous nature. The regulations are designed to prevent major accidents involving dangerous substances such as Buncefield, and to limit the consequences to people and the environment of any accidents that do occur.

COMAH is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the relevant regional environmental agencies such as the Environment Agency (EA), the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) – working together as the COMAH Competent Authority (CCA)5. 

Alderbank

JAMES61 said:

We bought our house around 17 years ago and we did everything including a full survey and local search. Recently we found that we are in a COMAH zone but this didn’t show up on the search when we bought the house. It has been a COMAH zone for decades. Who do we approach for help?

What sort of help?

I assume you made this discovery by putting your postcode into the COMAH site checker. It's quick and easy to do, you don't really need any help.
https://notifications.hse.gov.uk/COMAH2015/Search.aspx

I live in Scotland. Entering my postcode comes up with three COMAH sites - three nearby whisky distilleries. It's no secret that they exist (one even does tourist site tours) but they were not raised as an issue when I bought my house six years ago.

They are COMAH sites (one is high tier) because of the number of barrels of Scotch whisky they each have on site. I realise that in the unlikely event that one of the sites were to explode I could be completely drenched in Scotch. That is a risk I am willing to take.

user1977

I suppose I should also ask - if it's caused you so few issues in the past 17 years that you didn't even know about it, why the concern now?

Rodders53

It has taken you 17 years to find this out? 
What help do you want? 
How to sue your Conveyancer for something (what)? Or something else????

Most such sites would be rather 'obvious' I'd have thought?

What is this site and how far away from it are you?

We have a Oil storage/delivery company at the other end of our village that is not COMAH - but we knew it was there when we bought our property.  There is a new low level COMAH site (waste incinerator) in the next village a few miles away that was only built after we moved in.  Neither are a major concern to me and my loved ones.

BungalowBel

My postcode comes up with one - about three miles away over the other side of the city - I knew the plant was there, always have, although I didn't know what a COMAH zone was.  It does not trouble me in the slightest.

Teapot55

Well, it’s a theoretical risk. Seems I’ve been at theoretical risk most of my life. Wasn’t theoretical for the forty plus people who were injured in Buncefield in Hertfordshire, so I am grateful to @JAMES61 for raising awareness of this. Also to other posters who have provided internet links. 

Not something to be too worried about but it would have been nice to have been informed before now and not by an internet forum. 

Just another thing to throw out of the handcart as it hurtles downwards. 

QrizB

JAMES61 said:

Who do we approach for help?

What help are you looking for?

aussie_in_wales

What are you concerned about? 
Is the local COMAH site upper or lower tier?
What type of site is it?

lincroft1710

Teapot55 said:

Well, it’s a theoretical risk. Seems I’ve been at theoretical risk most of my life. Wasn’t theoretical for the forty plus people who were injured in Buncefield in Hertfordshire, so I am grateful to @JAMES61 for raising awareness of this. Also to other posters who have provided internet links. 

Not something to be too worried about but it would have been nice to have been informed before now and not by an internet forum. 

Just another thing to throw out of the handcart as it hurtles downwards. 

We felt the shock waves from that explosion 30 miles away!