Soils in the built environment
Topsoil standards
Background
Soil in the built environment is not simply a fixed attribute of the land but a commodity which can be traded, bought or sold. Different construction sites at different stages of development may have either too much or too little soil available. Where soil is imported or exported to meet these needs, it is important that published standards are available to ensure that the material is of a known acceptable quality.
During evidence gathering for the development of the soils in the built environment workstream, the Defra Soils Policy Team was made aware of the high level of reference made by the construction industry to BS3882: Specification for Topsoil. Further consultation with industry contacts revealed levels of dissatisfaction with the current standard and concern that it is being widely misapplied. This misapplication has the potential to inadvertently promote unsustainable use of our national soil resource.
In response to these concerns, the Soils Policy Team contacted representatives of industry, academia and Government to form the Topsoil Standards Working Group (TSWG).
Progress
The TSWG agreed that BS3882 should be revised in a number of areas. Upon presentation, the AW020 committee of the British Standards Institute (BSi) were very receptive to the suggestions put forward by the TSWG and endorsed the principle of revising BS3882.
A revised version of BS3882 was launched in November 2007 following drafting by the TSWG and a public consultation exercise (which closed on 30 June 2007).
BS3882:2007 is closely linked to Defra’s development of a Code of Practice for Sustainable Use and Management of Soils on Construction Sites. This Code of Practice will provide further guidance on the appropriate usage of imported (and native) soil material and will make reference to the revised BS3882 where appropriate.
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Page last modified: 29 November 2007
Page published: 1 September
2005