5.2  What are the principal risks typically retained by the public sector?

The public sector generally accepts the risk of gaining planning permission, but in practice it has been the case that projects do not achieve financial closure until planning risk has passed. The pattern of risk allocation generally follows practice in Great Britain in that the public sector will usually accept the risk in relation to volume, certain change in law risks (see question 6.1) and some risk in relation to contamination, asbestos and defects in existing buildings where surveys are used to assess the risk.