Class A / Class B appropriate persons meaning

In contaminated land practice, “Class A/Class B appropriate persons” describes who can be made responsible for remediation and associated costs. Under Part 2A (Part IIA) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and related statutory guidance (England, Wales and Scotland), an “appropriate person” is someone the enforcing authority identifies as responsible for a significant contaminant linkage. Class A appropriate persons are those who caused or knowingly permitted the contaminant to be in, on or under the land (the polluter‑pays principle). If, after reasonable inquiry, no Class A person can be found (often called “orphan” contamination), the current owner or occupier is treated as a Class B appropriate person. Regulators (local authorities and environment agencies) may serve remediation notices on appropriate persons, group liable parties, apply statutory exclusion tests and apportion liability between contributors, with cost recovery subject to reasonableness and hardship considerations. Usage and effect are broadly consistent across England & Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland operates a similar polluter‑pays contaminated land regime under the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 and guidance. Ireland does not use the Class A/Class B terminology; liability for land contamination is managed primarily through planning and waste legislation and the Environmental Liability Regulations 2008, applying...