Prince Harry's Former Polo Club Faces Pollution Scandal Over Contaminated Soil
The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club (RCBPC) in Winkfield, a prestigious venue long favoured by Prince Harry, has become entangled in a significant pollution controversy. Club bosses purchased contaminated soil filled with plastic debris and bricks, dumping an estimated half a million cubic metres of this material on their grounds since 2013.
Green Belt Development Sparks Local Outrage
This massive earth-moving operation was part of an initiative to convert grazing fields within the club's green belt location into additional polo pitches. However, thirteen years later, the transformation remains incomplete. Instead of being properly laid, the compost has been piled into towering mounds several metres high, creating an eyesore and environmental hazard.
Recent photographic evidence reveals these enormous heaps contain substantial waste material, including bricks and plastic fragments. Local residents have expressed serious concerns that this could contaminate the existing soil, which supports several 200-year-old oak trees on the property.
Flood Risk Alarms Authorities
The Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) has raised significant alarms about potential dangers from this development. Using advanced lidar laser mapping technology, officials determined there is a clear indication that the soil dumping has increased flood risk to both the site and surrounding areas.
Bracknell Forest Council initially issued an enforcement notice demanding the RCBPC remove the dumped dirt by January next year and level the ground, citing breaches of planning permission conditions. However, the council has since withdrawn this order after the club submitted a new planning application proposing alternative solutions.
Abandoned Ambitions and New Proposals
The new proposal effectively scraps the original project, ending hopes for a new high-goal polo pitch for competitive-level games. Instead, plans now include two practice pitches and a new wetland habitat, but notably no commitment to remove the contaminated material already dumped on site.
Club bosses defended this decision by arguing that removing the soil would cause excessive disruption to local roads. A commissioned report found that more than 100,000 lorry movements would be required to transport the half million cubic metres of dirt away from the property.
Local Community Voices Strong Opposition
Residents living near the venue have complained bitterly about road damage and infrastructure destruction caused by the constant lorry traffic. One anonymous local stated: 'Many hectares of green belt land have been raised significantly higher than permitted, increasing risks of flooding, drainage problems, and contamination affecting other landowners and residents.'
Joshua Reynolds, Liberal Democrat MP for Maidenhead, expressed being 'extremely concerned' about the development, particularly regarding flood risks. He warned: 'This is a direct threat to the safety of the local community,' and argued that the club's proposed fixes don't address the root cause—the unauthorised soil dumping.
Royal Connections and Charity Fallout
The club, purchased in 1985 by music publisher Bryan Morrison, has long been associated with Prince Harry, who is known for his passion for polo. The Duke of Sussex played at the venue during the Sentebale Polo Cup in July 2018, appearing alongside his wife Meghan Markle just one month after their royal wedding.
This connection has added scrutiny to the environmental controversy. Sentebale, the African youth charity Harry founded in 2006, has since dropped polo matches from its fundraising activities after the prince resigned from the board of trustees following allegations of racism and bullying. Polo events featuring Harry had previously constituted a major source of the charity's income.
Club's Defence and Ongoing Controversy
A spokesperson for RCBPC explained that the pitch development remains unfinished because the contractor unexpectedly went into administration. They also cited the discovery of a high-pressure gas main on site as another factor halting progress. The club maintains that the unfinished land is inaccessible to both horses and the public.
The spokesperson further claimed that proposed biodiversity improvements in the new plans exceed those in the original application, and noted that no objections were raised at a recent parish council meeting regarding the remediation proposals.
In an official statement, club bosses declared: 'RCBPC are committed to completing the works to the land and working closely with the council.' However, the controversy continues as environmental concerns, flood risks, and community disruption remain unresolved issues at this once-prestigious sporting venue.
