BUS Grant UpliftUp to £9,000 for oil & LPG homes · £7,500 for mains-gas homesLearn more →
Nicholls
Nicholls Water drilling crew
70+ projects in Kent

Water Boreholes & Ground Source Heat Pumps in Kent

Over 70 projects completed across Kent. Free site assessments and no-obligation estimates.

Kent is a growing area for Nicholls with 70 completed projects, particularly concentrated around Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone. The county's diverse geology — from productive North Downs chalk to the Wealden Clay and Greensand of the Weald — offers good potential for both water supply and ground source heating across much of the area.

Services available in Kent

Full range of water, ground source and licensing services — delivered by our in-house team.

Water Boreholes

Private water supply across Kent's productive geology.

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Ground Source Heat Pumps

GSHP systems for Kent properties. MCS certified.

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Deep Bore Soakaways

Storm drainage solutions across Kent.

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Servicing & Maintenance

Ongoing system maintenance across Kent.

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Water Licensing

EA abstraction and discharge licences — UK-wide.

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Local geology in Kent

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Kent's geology varies from the productive chalk of the North Downs (excellent for water boreholes and open-loop GSHP) through the Greensand ridge to the Wealden Clay in the central Weald. The Sevenoaks area (our strongest coverage with 12 projects) sits on chalk and Lower Greensand with good aquifer potential. The Tunbridge Wells area transitions into Hastings Beds and clay, requiring deeper drilling. Maidstone benefits from both chalk and Hythe Beds formations.

Every site is different. A desk-based geological assessment is always the starting point for any project.

Our projects in Kent

4,000+ boreholes drilled across the UK

Our interactive project map loads when it's ready. In the meantime, here's where we've been working — across West Sussex (227 projects), Surrey (196), Hampshire (111), East Sussex (87), Kent (70) and across the wider South of England, including Wiltshire and Dorset.

Water boreholes · Ground source heat pumps · Deep bore soakaways · Over 1,500 completed projects since 2003.

Case studies in Kent

A selection of projects we've completed across Kent.

Water Borehole System for a Farm in Kent
Water BoreholeAgricultural

Water Borehole System for a Farm in Kent

Nicholls Boreholes and Ground Source were commissioned to design, supply and install a comprehensive water borehole system for a working farm in Kent.

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Areas we cover in Kent

We cover all of Kent including:

SevenoaksTonbridgeTunbridge WellsMaidstoneCanterburyAshfordWesterhamCranbrook

Local landing pages

Detailed pages for towns we work in across Kent:

Westgate-on-SeaFordwichQueenboroughSheernessHawkingeSevenoaksTonbridgeTunbridge WellsMaidstoneCanterburyAshfordWesterhamCranbrook

Not sure if we cover your area? Complete our enquiry form and we'll confirm.

Other areas we cover

West Sussex (227)Surrey (196)Hampshire (111)East Sussex (87)Buckinghamshire (39)Essex (38)Hertfordshire (28)London (80)Oxfordshire (18)Wiltshire (12)Suffolk (8)Cornwall (3)Somerset (4)

Featured for Kent

Water security in Kent

Hosepipe bans, PR24 bill rises, water-stressed designation. See why more Kent businesses, estates and farms are switching to private water boreholes — and what it costs.

Read the Kent water security guide →

Common questions about Kent

Quick answers to the questions we hear most often from Kent residential, commercial and agricultural clients.

How deep does a borehole need to be in Kent?
Kent geology splits between the productive North Downs chalk (Sevenoaks, Maidstone, Canterbury, Ashford — water at 30-80m), the Lower Greensand belt south of the chalk (Tonbridge, Westerham, Cranbrook — moderate depth, good yields), and the Hastings Beds / Wealden Clay of the High Weald (Tunbridge Wells, Cranbrook — typically 80-130m through clay to underlying sandstone). We use BGS data and our 70+ Kent project records to predict depth before any drill date is set.
How much does borehole drilling in Kent cost?
Residential water boreholes in Kent typically cost £10,000-£20,000. North Downs chalk-area boreholes are usually at the lower end (predictable drilling, light treatment). Weald clay-area boreholes (Tunbridge Wells, Cranbrook) need deeper drilling and often iron / manganese treatment, pushing toward the upper end. Commercial sites £20,000-£60,000+. Fixed written estimate after a free site assessment.
What about hosepipe bans and commercial water security in Kent?
Kent is supplied largely by South East Water, whose network was under a 202-day Temporary Use Ban from 18 July 2025 to 5 February 2026 — the longest in regional memory, affecting 1.4m customers. Commercial sites with their own private water borehole are hydraulically independent and unaffected. We've put together a full guide to water security in Kent and East Sussex — see /water-security-kent-sussex.
Are you an MCS heat pump installer in Kent?
Yes. MCS-certified for GSHP. Kent's chalk and Lower Greensand geology are excellent for both open-loop and closed-loop systems. The High Weald clay areas also work well for closed-loop with the deeper boreholes. BUS grant (£9,000 oil/LPG/electric, £7,500 mains gas) handled as part of the installation. Active across Kent including Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, Canterbury and Ashford.
Do I need a licence to abstract groundwater in Kent?
Only above 20m³/day (about 4,400 gallons) — most domestic and small commercial sites don't need a licence. Larger sites do, and Kent is part of the EA's 'serious water stress' designation, so larger commercial applications get particularly close scrutiny. Our in-house Licensing & Consulting team handles the full application including the hydrogeological reports the Environment Agency typically requests.
Why Nicholls for boreholes and GSHP in Kent?
70+ projects across the county, with our strongest coverage around Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells. We design, drill, license, install and service in-house — no subcontracting the technical work. Kent's varied geology (chalk / Greensand / Hastings Beds) means local project history matters — predicting depth and water quality before mobilising the rig is the difference between a smooth project and an expensive surprise.

Ready to discuss your Kent project?

Request a free, no-obligation site assessment. We'll review your geology, assess your needs and provide an accurate written estimate.

Request a Site Assessment