Both the council and the landowner have said that the other is delaying works to remedy the former illegal waste site
After more than 180 fires, residents complaining of itchy eyes and sore throats, and an eight-year-long battle, the “Rainham volcano”, a waste-field site in run Havering, is still in the midst of a legal conundrum between the Reform-run council and the landowner. Yet both parties remain adamant that they have not delayed clearing the contaminated site.
The Arnold’s Fields waste dump on Launders Lane, Rainham, has a long history of illegal waste dumping and criminal activity, with arrests and drug factories found in underground bunkers, yet this all changed when the new owner took over just under ten years ago.
The landowner, Jerry O’Donovan, has owned the site since 2017, claiming he wanted to purchase it to remediate it and eventually use it as a base of operations for his waste management company, DMC Services Essex. Since 2018, he claims he has tried to implement a long-term plan with Havering Council to remediate the site and ensure that the contaminated material is removed.
This has been disputed by the council, which says the landowner has delayed reaching a solution by denying permission for the temporary works, including spraying the site with a cement-like polymer solution to starve the ground of oxygen and stop the repeated fires.
Jerry’s representative claims the council has failed to respond to requests for environmental permits and a planning application for the temporary measure they proposed, adding they are concerned about the ecological impact and the long-term implications. They say they could not accept any works without any relevant planning documents.
Yet the council said that as the relevant planning authority in the area, “no planning application was required”. A council spokesperson added it is now preparing a remediation notice for the site and will use “step-in” powers to ensure the £300,000 temporary solution is implemented.
The landowners’ representatives have argued that these works have not yet been discussed with the Environment Agency and that planning permission should be sought.
MyLondon understands that the landowner has requested that Havering allow them to propose a remediation strategy to address the issues at the site in a planning application, and that Havering issued an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on July 17. According to the landowners’ representative, this was ignored, and Havering proceeded to prepare a remediation notice at their August 12 meeting.
The plans for the remediation notice could delay any works for the site for another two to three years.
When asked to respond to the claims that Havering Council have refused to engage with the plans of the landowner and that the landowner has flatly refused works, Councillor Keith Prince AM, Leader of Havering Council, said: “The Council’s position on this matter has been clear and consistent throughout discussions with the current landowner of Arnold’s Field.
“During discussions up to March 2026 regarding the proposed temporary remedial works involving a cement polymer covering (CPC) to stop, or significantly reduce, fires at the site, the Council, acting as the Local Planning Authority, made it clear that no planning application was required.
“This position was stated publicly in a Cabinet report published on 14 January 2026 and reaffirmed directly to the landowner in correspondence dated 17 March 2026. Environmental considerations were also addressed in that correspondence.
“Despite these assurances, the landowner did not grant permission for the works to proceed. The Council subsequently gave the landowner the opportunity to put forward an alternative proposal, which the Council was prepared to fund, but the necessary information was not provided to the standard required for the use of public funds.
“As a result, the Council had no option but to pursue a legal enforcement route through the Remediation Notice in order to protect the health of local residents and address the ongoing risks posed by fires at the site.”
In response to the council’s decision to prepare a remediation notice, a representative for Jerry O’Donovan said: “We note that Havering is now preparing a Remediation Notice under Part 2A. The landowner will engage constructively with any properly evidenced and lawfully undertaken process.
“However, the contaminated land regime contains important statutory requirements concerning responsibility for contamination, the identification of appropriate persons and the remediation which may reasonably be required. cafe’s
“The current landowner did not deposit the waste responsible for the present condition of Arnolds Field. His position in relation to any Remediation Notice must therefore remain fully reserved until the Council’s evidential case, identification of the appropriate persons and proposed remediation requirements are known.
“Residents living around Arnolds Field have endured repeated fires and smoke. There is no disagreement that a solution is required.
“The issue is how a safe, lawful, effective and lasting solution is achieved. We also recognise that those living closest to Arnolds Field have a direct and legitimate interest in the future of the site.”
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