'Rainham Volcano' landowner says council is hindering his plans

"O'Donovan said he tried for seven years to fund a clear-up by developing part of the site, dubbed the Rainham Volcano, but said Havering Council had told him there was "no appetite" for his plan. The council recently lost a court battle over its decision not to label Arnolds Field in Launders Lane, Rainham, as contaminated, which O'Donovan said left him with 55,000 in legal costs - one of the many additional expenses he has faced since purchasing the land."

"Last month, Havering Council said it planned to spray parts of the site with a cement-like, polymer solution to starve the ground of oxygen and temporarily put a stop to the fires. It said the works, costing a maximum of 300,000 would be used across different areas of the site in a bid to stop or significantly reduce the fires."

"O'Donovan, who was not responsible for the waste dumping on the site, said he was not invited to the council meeting in January when the action was agreed. Havering Council said the landowner was consulted on the action prior to the public cabinet meeting, and his views were included in the report. O'Donovan said he was concerned that the council's planned temporary polymer seal on the site would not stop deepseated fires and could delay ecological surveys needed for his planning application and site remediation."

Jerry O'Donovan bought Arnolds Field in east London in 2017, paying in good faith and unaware of problems. He tried for seven years to fund a clear-up by developing part of the site but Havering Council said there was "no appetite" for his plan. The council lost a court case over its decision not to label the land contaminated, leaving O'Donovan with 55,000 in legal costs. Havering Council plans to spray parts of the site with a cement-like polymer to starve underground fires of oxygen. O'Donovan says the temporary seal will not stop deep-seated fires and could delay ecological surveys; the council says the polymer will minimise air reaching underground, allow vegetation to grow, have minimal ecological impact, and that surveys could be carried out on unsealed areas or after reapplication.

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