Hoads Wood Waste Clearance

To undertake the removal and disposal of approximately 30,000T of illegally deposited waste from Hoad’s Wood, Ashford, Kent.

Hoad’s Wood is 199 acres of designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is located between Hothfield and Bethersden, Kent. The wood is in private ownership and is divided into hundreds of small individually owned plots, some of which change ownership frequently. Since 2020 the site has been subject to periods of illegal waste disposal which has destroyed an area of ancient oak woodland which was of the oldest examples in England. The first instance commercial waste disposal started in 2020 and was stopped by a planning injunction. None of the waste disposed at this time was removed. In August 2023 the Environment Agency (EA) started receiving complaints that commercial waste was being deposited again in the same area of woodland, but this time on much larger scale.

The site is currently part on an ongoing enforcement investigation by the EA as a regulatory authority.

The area of deposited waste covers approximately 16 no. small parcels of separately owned pieces of land covering approximately two acres. The area of deposited waste measures approximately 100m long, 60m wide and 2-4m deep and consists of various types of waste such as plastics, hydrocarbons, processed waste, soil and aggregate. The total volume of waste deposited during the periods of tipping is approximately 30,000 tonnes. There is a risk of further damage to the underlying soil and the surrounding water environment caused by surface water run-off and continuing decomposition of the waste.

The Contractor shall: Prepare all necessary documentation for undertaking the works and review and update these as appropriate, Establish, maintain and remove site facilities to accommodate the works, and Test, remove and dispose of all waste material from Hoad’s Wood to appropriately permitted facilities, including supply of all waste transfer documentation.