Work starts on 9 September to complete all works in Belfairs Woods to protect the gas pipe that runs through the area and remove the final set of trees and vegetation that has grown over the pipeline.
These works will take place from 9 September until 8 November 2025.
We have been working with Southend Council to arrange a suitable time to complete these necessary works to protect the gas pipe that crosses the woods. These works will ensure we can maintain a safe and reliable gas supply to the wider area.
Working with the council and ecologists, we agreed to delay the completion of this part of the project until after the school summer holidays and nesting season.
Over time, the depth of soil covering our gas pipe has reduced in certain areas and to ensure the pipe is fully protected, we have to complete some work to resolve this.
These works will take place from 9 September to 8 November 2025.
Temporary fencing will be installed around our area of work to ensure the safety of people walking within the woods.
With the agreement of the landowner, the remaining tree clearance will take place around the end of September. This will only take a few days to complete at the edge of the woods.
N.B. The final tree clearance is taking place at the edge of Belfairs Woods, not in the same place as the remediation works.
We have now been given consent to complete the final vegetation clearance work, to remove the trees and vegetation on top of our pipeline and encroaching on the easement of the pipeline within and near Belfairs Woods.
This work will take two weeks to complete in early Summertime. We aim to complete the work before the summer school holidays.
Once this part of the project is complete, we will then complete the work to protect this pipeline after the summer school holidays are over. More details will follow closer to the date.
Cadent has been working with the local councils for Belfairs Woods over the past year regarding the essential work that needs to be completed to remove vegetation that has grown over the top of a gas pipe. For safety reasons, trees, shrubs and buildings can not be built or left to grow on top of a gas pipe due to the potential damage or impact on the gas pipe. Cadent must ensure the safety and integrity of gas pipe that supplies to the local surrounding area.
Southend-on-Sea Council and Natural England consented to the work we needed to do earlier this year in March and April in part of Belfairs Woods. Here we removed 3 trees and some shrubs.
We are awaiting consent from Castle Point Council regarding the work that needs to be completed in the area covered by Castle Point Council, along with any conditions related to the planning application to remove around 30 trees that have grown on top of the pipeline.
Once a decision has been made, we will be able to inform the local communities regarding the work.
We cannot have anything growing or built on top of our gas pipes. We do survey our pipelines on a regular basis and when we discover a building that has been built over a gas pipe or plants and trees that have grown on top of a pipe, we survey the pipe and decide what needs to happen for the integrity of the gas pipe.
Environmental and wildlife surveys have been completed and mitigating measures will be put in place, if needed, once a timescale has been agreed with all parties to complete the remaining vegetation clearance.
Tree Clearance Near Gas Pipelines
At Cadent, safety and environmental stewardship are at the core of our operations. To ensure the ongoing safety and reliability of our gas network, it is sometimes necessary to undertake tree clearance works when vegetation is growing in close proximity to our gas pipelines.
Trees and large vegetation near pipelines can pose several risks, including:
While these measures are necessary, we are committed to minimising the environmental impact of our work. To achieve this, we:
In this instance we will be removing mainly brambles and weeds. We are also going to remove some tree and in consultation with Belfairs Woods, Southend-on-Sea Council and Castle Point Borough Council we will replace these trees with 2 to 3 times more trees than we have removed. We are talking with them about how many trees, types of trees and location they would like us to replace.
We understand the importance of protecting natural habitats and are dedicated to working transparently with our community partners to maintain a safe and sustainable gas network while supporting environmental conservation.
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