diff --git a/packages/env/lib/build-docker-compose-config.js b/packages/env/lib/build-docker-compose-config.js
index 5336f8690cca85..01bce2bafbd83b 100644
--- a/packages/env/lib/build-docker-compose-config.js
+++ b/packages/env/lib/build-docker-compose-config.js
@@ -54,6 +54,11 @@ function getMounts(
 			? `user-home:/home/${ hostUsername }`
 			: `tests-user-home:/home/${ hostUsername }`;
 
+	const wordpressUploadsMount =
+		wordpressDefault === 'wordpress'
+			? `wordpress-uploads:/var/www/html/wp-content/uploads`
+			: `tests-wordpress-uploads:/var/www/html/wp-content/uploads`;
+
 	const corePHPUnitMount = `${ path.join(
 		workDirectoryPath,
 		wordpressDefault === 'wordpress'
@@ -72,6 +77,7 @@ function getMounts(
 			coreMount, // Must be first because of some operations later that expect it to be!
 			corePHPUnitMount,
 			userHomeMount,
+			wordpressUploadsMount,
 			...directoryMounts,
 			...pluginMounts,
 			...themeMounts,
@@ -269,6 +275,8 @@ module.exports = function buildDockerComposeConfig( config ) {
 			'mysql-test': {},
 			'user-home': {},
 			'tests-user-home': {},
+			'wordpress-uploads': {},
+			'tests-wordpress-uploads': {},
 		},
 	};
 };
diff --git a/packages/env/lib/init-config.js b/packages/env/lib/init-config.js
index 4a573c97aae7e9..3db99aba5748be 100644
--- a/packages/env/lib/init-config.js
+++ b/packages/env/lib/init-config.js
@@ -136,6 +136,9 @@ ARG HOST_GID
 RUN groupadd -g $HOST_GID $HOST_USERNAME || true
 RUN useradd -m -u $HOST_UID -g $HOST_GID $HOST_USERNAME || true
 
+# Make media uploads writeable by the host user.
+RUN install -d -o $HOST_UID -g $HOST_GID /var/www/html/wp-content/uploads
+
 # Install any dependencies we need in the container.
 ${ installDependencies( 'wordpress', env, config ) }`;
 }
diff --git a/packages/env/lib/test/build-docker-compose-config.js b/packages/env/lib/test/build-docker-compose-config.js
index 95cf6419d5db4d..f0b67b18cfdb1e 100644
--- a/packages/env/lib/test/build-docker-compose-config.js
+++ b/packages/env/lib/test/build-docker-compose-config.js
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ describe( 'buildDockerComposeConfig', () => {
 			'wordpress:/var/www/html', // WordPress root.
 			'/path/WordPress-PHPUnit/tests/phpunit:/wordpress-phpunit', // WordPress test library,
 			'user-home:/home/test',
+			'wordpress-uploads:/var/www/html/wp-content/uploads',
 			'/path/to/wp-plugins:/var/www/html/wp-content/plugins', // Mapped plugins root.
 			'/path/to/local/plugin:/var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/test-name', // Mapped plugin.
 		] );