Planning a property: environmental, fire safety and geological documentation

Planning a new building requires a careful analysis of the land it will stand on. The documents that follow from that analysis fall into three groups, each answering a different question.

Geological documentation: will the ground hold it

A geotechnical opinion establishes the geological profile and groundwater level — the foundation conditions. Since 19 September 2020, following the amendment to the Construction Law, every architectural and construction design must include one, including for single-family houses.

This is not a formality. Bearing capacity testing can reveal organic deposits, peat, plastic sandy clays or made ground — subsoils on which founding a building without proper preparation ends in uneven settlement and cracked walls.

Larger projects, assigned to geotechnical category II or III, additionally require laboratory analysis of soil and groundwater samples. See geological support for investments.

Environmental documentation: will the project harm its surroundings

• Project Information Sheet (KIP) — a description of the planned project submitted in proceedings for an environmental decision.
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) — required for projects that may significantly affect the environment.
• Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) and HSEDDA — international-standard studies used in transactions and plant acquisitions.
• Local groundwater monitoring programmes — for sites on which such an obligation has been imposed.

The condition of the ground at the moment of purchase is a separate issue. If production or service activity took place there before, soil contamination testing is worth carrying out — the duty to remove contamination rests with the party in control of the land, regardless of who caused it.

Fire safety documentation: what happens in an incident

Fire safety instructions set out how fires are prevented, the conditions for evacuation and the duties of those responsible. An explosion protection document is prepared wherever explosive atmospheres may occur — which in practice covers a large share of production plants and warehouses.

When to deal with it

As early as possible — ideally before buying the plot. Geological and environmental results are an argument in price negotiations, and problems found at this stage can still be designed around. Once construction has started, every correction costs many times more. See geological, environmental and fire safety documentation.