Historic landfill sites in Swanscombe, Kent
The Environment Agency records 33 historic landfill sites in and around Swanscombe, Kent. covering roughly 270 hectares in total. The largest is West Thurrock Power Station at 38.79 ha. Recorded waste ranges up to special (hazardous) waste. Data: October 2025 revision.
Recorded landfill boundaries around Swanscombe (indicative, digitised at 1:10,000).
All recorded sites, largest first
| Site | Area | Last input | Waste types |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Thurrock Power Station | 38.79 ha | 1994 | Liquid / sludgeIndustrialInert |
| Hangmans Wood | 24.64 ha | — | Waste types not recorded |
| Stone Marshes | 20.5 ha | — | IndustrialHouseholdCommercialInert |
| Southpit | 19.48 ha | 1992 | IndustrialInert |
| Pinden End Farm | 15.57 ha | — | SpecialIndustrialHouseholdCommercialInert |
| Chalk Quarry | 14.12 ha | 1987 | Liquid / sludgeIndustrialCommercial |
| Stone 9a 1976 | 13.28 ha | 1979 | HouseholdCommercialInert |
| Church Path Pit | 12.72 ha | 1987 | IndustrialInert |
| Gills Lane | 12.61 ha | 1992 | SpecialIndustrialHouseholdCommercialInert |
| Southpit | 8.37 ha | 1992 | IndustrialInert |
| Knockhall Chase | 8.29 ha | 1990 | IndustrialHouseholdCommercialInert |
| West Thurrock Marshes | 7.87 ha | 1958 | IndustrialHouseholdCommercial |
| Manor Farm | 7.65 ha | — | SpecialIndustrialHouseholdCommercialInert |
| Southpit | 7.04 ha | 1992 | IndustrialInert |
| Gibbs Quarry | 7.04 ha | 1977 | Liquid / sludgeIndustrial |
| Arena Essex | 6.95 ha | 1994 | Inert |
| Bamber Pit | 5.69 ha | 1993 | IndustrialInert |
| Chalk Quarry | 5.5 ha | 1985 | IndustrialCommercial |
| Motherwell Way - Cliff Batte | 4.12 ha | 1987 | IndustrialHouseholdCommercial |
| Old Somerset House Site | 3.82 ha | 1987 | SpecialInert |
| Alkerden Lane | 3.55 ha | — | Inert |
| Ryecroft Farm | 3.2 ha | — | CommercialInert |
| Shell Bank Lane | 3.14 ha | — | HouseholdCommercialInert |
| St.Margarets | 2.8 ha | — | CommercialInert |
| No. 4 Chalk Quarry | 2.63 ha | 1983 | Industrial |
| Chalk Quarry - Bushy Bit | 2.14 ha | 1972 | IndustrialCommercial |
| Darenth Wood | 2.05 ha | — | CommercialInert |
| Swanscombe Cement | 1.43 ha | 1993 | Inert |
| Bamber Pit | 1.43 ha | 1989 | IndustrialInert |
| Fawkham Valley Road | 1.39 ha | — | Inert |
| Grubb Street | 1.08 ha | 1969 | HouseholdCommercialInert |
| Green Street Green | 0.87 ha | 1969 | SpecialHouseholdCommercialInert |
| Craylands Lane | 0.4 ha | 1977 | HouseholdCommercialInert |
What this data does — and doesn't — cover
- Licensed-era records only. Waste licensing began in 1974. Older tips — especially small pre-war ones — are incompletely recorded, so absence from this data does not mean no landfill ever existed here.
- Not the contaminated-land register. Councils hold a separate register of land determined as contaminated. A historic landfill entry is not a contamination determination, and vice versa.
- Boundaries are indicative. Digitised at 1:10,000 scale; some are buffers around a point rather than surveyed edges.
- Not a substitute for a formal environmental search. If you're buying, your conveyancer's environmental search checks this and several other sources.
EA Historic Landfill dataset, October 2025 revision. More on the methodology page.
Common questions
- How many former landfill sites are there in Swanscombe?
- 33 historic (closed) landfill sites are recorded within about 15km of Swanscombe town centre in the Environment Agency's Historic Landfill dataset (October 2025 revision). Pre-1974 sites are incompletely recorded, so the true historical number is likely higher.
- How do I check a specific address in Swanscombe?
- Search the postcode on Landfill Check — you'll see every recorded site within 1km, with distance, direction and waste types, measured to the site boundary.
Nearby areas
Worth reading: buying a house near a former landfill and what the waste types mean.