Redevelopment in Oxfordshire is booming, with major projects including a new football stadium for Oxford United and the creation of Oxford North among the most notable.  

And to mark World Soil Day, specialists behind work to restore used land to a clean and safe condition so it adheres to strict planning requirements have revealed more about the quality of the region’s soil.  

It comes after a report from the Department for International Trade confirmed at least 0.16 per cent of all land in the UK – more than 400,000 hectares – is defined as contaminated.  

“Contaminated land is far more widespread than people would assume,” said James Cox, Divisional Manager for Asbestos Removal at Maylarch Environmental Ltd.  

“The extent to which we find hazardous soil when clearing ground before it is redeveloped for properties, roads, large scale industrial projects and even schools is quite surprising. 

“It’s due to poor practice historically.  

“It’s our job to identify where contaminated land is, and manage it effectively so future redevelopments are constructed with public health in mind.”   

Contaminated soil is identified using specialist testing carried out in a laboratory. 

Should asbestos fibres make up more than 0.01 per cent of a soil sample, it will be defined as contaminated and cannot be built on until the issue is resolved.  

James added: “If contaminated soil is found, it has to be dealt with.  

“Once we understand how widespread the contamination might be, then we can devise a remediation strategy.  

“That would entail removing contaminated land entirely, capping off the space with clean soil or limiting the amount of removal by testing multiple sources.” 

Based in Witney but operating across the south, Maylarch specialises in demolition, asbestos removal and land remediation.  

Its team diverted 29,679 tonnes of demolition waste, the equivalent to the weight of 2,120 double decker buses, from landfill in 2024 – a 98 per cent recycling rate on all non-hazardous waste.  

James added: “Buildings which were demolished decades ago were simply buried underground, leaving a mess of hidden asbestos fibres, hydrocarbons and heavy metals. 

“It’s created a huge workload for our land remediation team, which – with the benefit of hindsight – was entirely avoidable.  

“The demolition industry today is highly misunderstood as a result. We no longer knock buildings down and leave rubbish behind as our recycling rates prove, and it’s a part of our operation we take great pride in. 

“Without soil, 95 per cent of food we eat every day would not make it to our plate. It is our view – even on land destined for construction – that it must be respected and monitored for the sake of our environment.”   

Land Remediation