About This Project

Client: Dog Barking Field, Barns Green

Matthews (Sussex) Limited was commissioned by the client to undertake earthworks at their property, a field parcel known as Dog Barking Field located off Two Mile Ash Road, Barns Green near Horsham, West Sussex.

The earthworks comprised the importation and placement of clean, naturally occurring and inert soils and sub-soils (also referred to as “materials”), to enable the field to be brought back into agricultural use. The site had previously been operated by Horsham District Council as a domestic refuse tip however when the Council ceased tipping, the site was not capped effectively and the landfill wastes were left too close to the ground surface to allow viable cultivation.

Matthews has completed the importation and placement of the materials at Dog Barking Field under the CL:AIRE Definition of Waste Code of Practice, having developed a Materials Management Plan for the site including Design Method Statement and Qualitative Risk Assessment, reviewed intrusive ground investigation data from donor sites to check the suitability of respective donor materials and obtained Declarations for the relevant donor sites from CL:AIRE.

The project comprised the restoration of a former Horsham District Council landfill site at Dog Barking Field (western half), to be able to restore the land for agricultural cultivation. When the site was Council operated, the Council had not finished the site effectively when it ceased taking landfill wastes. The landfill wastes were left too shallow to allow viable cultivation.

The imported clean inert materials were to be placed on the field to agreed levels (up to 2m deep) to allow cultivation and cereal crop production. The materials were brought on to site and placed directly, without the need to stockpile. The soil placement started in the south and west of the site, working down the slope towards the northern boundary of the site. The materials were deposited at the site and moved into place by excavator and bulldozer. The soils were compacted and layered until final levels were reached.

The proposed QA/QC sampling frequency was one validation sample per 2,000m³ of imported materials. Matthews sampled the imported materials approximately twice a month throughout the project. The validation soil analytical data demonstrated the materials imported to Dog Barking Field were clean, inert and naturally occurring. The QA/QC data was included in the final Verification reporting, together with the waste transfer documentation for each load of materials imported.

The project was estimated to last approximately twelve months. Matthews commenced the project in late Spring 2018, pausing during Winter months and recommencing works in Spring 2019. The project was completed in early Summer 2019.

The ‘after’ photos illustrate what benefit this scheme has had for agriculture and the local environment.