News / Clifton
Huge pile of contaminated soil could finally be removed
A huge pile of excavated soil that has blighted one corner of Bristol since May could finally be removed after months of legal wrangling.
The spoil heap next to Observatory Road in Clifton came from refurbishment work on the nearby children’s playground.
The playground close to the Suspension Bridge is sited on solid rock, meaning that topsoil had to be removed and drainage holes drilled into the rock allowing for soakaway.
The contract with a civil engineering contractor was to remove the soil and spread it onto the Downs.
However, when a soil sample was taken, it was discovered to be contaminated with lead which meant it could not be spread on the Downs due to the land being a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
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Bristol City Council’s legal department have spent months attempting to get the civil engineering contractor to remove the pile of soil, which has now been here so long it has plants growing out of it.
The spoil heap is not dangerous but needs to be taken to a specialist site and it is costly to put lead contaminate into landfill.
Bristol24/7 understands that council officers have now accepted that they need to fund the removal themselves and the procurement process has been started.
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “We are working to identify an appropriate contractor who can remove the excavated soil from the site as soon as possible.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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