What is SiLC?

The Specialist in Land Condition Register comprises senior experienced professionals in the field of land condition and brownfield regeneration. It is strictly independent and to be placed on the Register individuals need to undergo a rigorous written exam and interview process. Essentially, it is a peer review and assessment process to assure the quality and competence of the people who pass. It represents the professional pinnacle within the industry.

SiLCs are currently the only people recognised as 'Suitably Qualified Persons' under the National Quality Mark Scheme (NQMS). This is a scheme which was set up by the National Brownfield Forum and is widely recognised by the government, the Environment Agency and an increasing number of local authorities. The NQMS recognises professionals qualified to verify expert reports on land condition as part of planning applications and other regulatory processes.

Overall, SiLCs represent the highest level of expertise a Chartered professional can achieve within the land condition and brownfield regeneration field. We believe it confers a certain amount of prestige and should help to drive business to the individuals who achieve SiLC status.

SiLC is also engaged in mentoring of professionals with a view to supporting their progression through the industry from Graduate level to Chartership and ultimately to SiLC.

Do you wish to be recognised at the highest level as an expert in land condition, contaminated land assessment, remediation and brownfield regeneration?

IEMA is a supporting member of the SiLC that recognises the highest calibre of senior practitioners within the industry. Its members can also achieve Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) status under the government-recognised National Quality Mark Scheme (NQMS) and are uniquely qualified to verify land condition reports associated with planning applications and other regulatory processes. For more information, click here.

The benefits of being a SiLC include professional recognition that you are at the pinnacle of your profession. You are permitted to use it to promote your practice. As an SQP, you will also be able to undertake work that non-registered people cannot. Click here to watch SiLCs explain why they get excited about contaminated land, why they came into the profession and why they became a SiLC.

To become a SiLC, you must be Chartered and will need to undergo an exam and interview process. The exam is set by the SiLC Professional and Technical Panel (PTP) and the interview is conducted by a panel of two assessors and an observer – all of which are SiLCs.

There is also a mentoring scheme (SiLC Affiliate Scheme) for those who would like support for their professional development to becoming Chartered initially and then applying for SiLC in the longer term. To download the SiLC Affiliate Scheme Leaflet, click here. This programme assists new graduates, as well as those with more experience, to work towards full membership and Chartered status of a professional body with guidance from a professional body advisor, and then progress towards SiLC/SQP registration with the assistance of a SiLC mentor. The aim is to provide an integrated process for those on the scheme utilising the National Brownfield Skills Framework. For someone to be able to join the scheme, it is necessary for them to be a graduate member or full member of one of the qualifying professional bodies. To watch a short video on the SiLC Affiliate Scheme, click here.

To find out more, please visit silc.org.uk where you can obtain details of the SiLC Affiliate Scheme, Introduction Days, the exam process, the NQMS and the role of an SQP.

Delivering on Climate Resilient and Sustainable Brownfield Development – SiLC launch Climate Change & Sustainability Group

The SiLC Register has launched the Climate Change & Sustainability Sub-group to embed sustainability and climate resilience into the development of not just post-industrial brownfield land but wider development. The intent is to raise awareness and foster the skills necessary to transform our approach to the development of this land. This offers benefits in delivering improved soil health, biodiversity, and climate change and extreme weather events mitigation.

Specialists in Land Condition (SiLCs) have a pivotal role to play, not just in reducing the emissions arising from brownfield land regeneration and embedding sustainability/net zero, but also in restoring the ecosystem services we collectively rely on to deliver fresh water, capture carbon, prevent flooding and grow crops. Key to this is understanding land condition, and how it contributes to delivering nature-based solutions. Solutions that reduce, for instance, the risk of flooding, sequester carbon, provide green spaces and produce renewable energy such as ground source heat.

Working with SiLC’s constituent professional institutions, the Sub-group will leverage the expertise and experience across the brownfield development community and beyond to build the capacity of SiLCs to embed sustainable development practices into how brownfield sites are managed. It is being led by co-chairs Claire Dickinson and Mark Hill.

It is clear, following Climate COP27 and Biodiversity COP15, that both crises pose a systemic risk that affects every aspect of our lives, from extreme weather effects to food security and even the investments that underpin our pensions. Mitigating and adapting to climate change is a societal endeavour that poses both generation-defining challenges and huge opportunities. Continuing with business as usual is no longer an option.

Claire Dickinson emphasised that ‘this Sub-group embodies the SiLC commitment to advancing knowledge and practice for the benefit of the environment and society. Join us on our journey contributing to the UK’s ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, enhancing biodiversity, tackling climate change and creating a clean growth circular economy’.

SiLCs are experts in risk assessment and land condition. They represent a multidiscipline profession that promotes the highest standards of professional competence in these fields. They actively contribute to advances in sustainable remediation practices, guidance, standards, regulation and reducing direct and indirect emissions.

If you are a registered SiLC and would like to get involved or represent a body that would be interested in working with the SiLC Sub-group, please e-mail the chairs using: silc.ccands@gmail.com. Please join us for our first webinar by registering at Maximising Natural Capital Benefits for Brownfield and Sustainable Development.