2 October 2022
Green Party Councillors have made Mendip District the first council in Somerset to link the increasing discharge of raw sewage into our local rivers with housing development.
A motion to the Full Council on Monday 26th September proposed by the Green Party was successful and could result in improved protection of our rivers and natural environment. For the first time Mendip District Council planning officers would have to produce a specific section on the effect on watercourses when assessing planning applications for major developments.
The local water company Wessex Water will be asked to make clear the impact of new development on sewage discharge into local rivers, when they respond to planning applications. Currently the planning system assumes that there will be enough capacity to take new development so this question is not asked. Wessex Water’s current waste water management plan acknowledges that “The Frome area has a high risk for sewer incapacity and high groundwater levels from prolonged rainfall periods affect areas of this catchment.”
Data from The Rivers Trust show that Wessex Water discharged sewage into rivers in Mendip district over 1892 times for a duration of 12,894 hours in 2020.
Wessex Water is one of 5 firms being investigated by Ofwat who have serious concerns and has opened an enforcement case against Wessex Water (and against 4 other companies) after receiving credible evidence of potential breaches of permits.
The River Frome has been classified as being in a ‘poor ecological condition’ by the Environment Agency.
Green councillor Shane Collins said “I am delighted to be taking this important step asking Wessex Water to ‘come clean’ on the real impact of housing developments. Releasing untreated sewage into our rivers and seas is simply not OK. It’s common sense that every new house and every new toilet will add to the sewage burden on an already overloaded system. Even worse, thanks to loopholes in the planning system introduced by the government, we are facing an onslaught of extra new housing development outside of that agreed via the local plan. Yet at the moment, the link between development and sewage overload is not made visible when it comes to planning. It’s time for that to change.”
The Green Party argues that without action, the increasing levels of untreated sewage will damage not only human health but natural habitats and local wildlife. Shane Collins said “I am very pleased we received cross party support for our motion. Sadly some Liberal Democrats abstained. We will now work with officers and the administration in trying to ensure the recommendations approved by councillors will be implemented for the benefit of our communities and environment.”
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