Council votes to remove South West Water from planning process

A Devonshire council is pushing to have South West Water excluded as a consultee on planning applications within its jurisdiction.

A motion, approved by Torridge District Council, calls on central government to block South West Water from future consultations on the grounds that the company does not adequately engage in the process.

Instead, the council is calling for an independent organisation to be appointed to oversee how water supplies and wastewater networks would be impacted by new developments.

While South West Water is not a statutory consultee, under Schedule 4 of the Town and Country planning order 2015, water and sewerage providers must be consulted on schemes where water resources are likely to be affected from developments involving boring or extracting oil and gas from shale.

In other instances, the Environment Agency serves as a statutory consultee. However, the council said this was “just semantics” because the council always approaches the water company for all planning proposals.

The motion was raised by Peter Christie, who has served as a councillor for Torridge District Council since 1991. It was supported by 29 fellow councillors across all parties, with just one abstention.

Christie told Utility Week that South West Water has repeatedly failed to scrutinise how development proposals would impact existing water supply and sewerage infrastructure.

He added that the company’s lack of engagement with planning applications was at odds with the number of storm overflow spills recorded in the area as well as issues with water supply.

“Every time the planning committee goes to South West Water, they say there are no objections. But with all the spills, there must be problems,” Christie said.

He suggested that spills from combined sewer overflows as well as a 13-month hosepipe ban in part of South West’s region indicate that adding homes would indeed add a strain to the systems.

Christie said the council had received “bland” responses from the company regarding planning applications and suggested having a more engaged consultee would benefit communities, the public and environment.

The council has written to the water company to challenge the responses it provided to planning submissions. It is seeking support for its motion at neighbouring councils to remove the water company as a consultee.

By way of example, Christie described an application being made for 750 new homes that South West Water did not query.

“There was a hosepipe ban for over a year, and the company blames Victorian sewer systems for spills,” Christie said, “But it’s clear there is a problem.”

As a statutory undertaker, water companies have a duty to support growth and make sure there is adequate capacity in the networks.

South West Water said it reviews 30,000 planning applications each year and responds with appropriate comments for consideration by the planning authority.

“The comments for consideration will highlight whether there is network improvements needed to be undertaken before the properties can connect and whether a timing clause might be suitable. It is a requirement under building regulations to ensure full separation of foul and surface water for any new property that is built and this would fall to the Local Authority to respond to,” the company said.

“To support the ongoing conversation between South West Water, North Devon District Council and Torridge Council, an initial workshop between officers was held on the 10 October to explore how we can work better together to ensure well informed decision making and add further value to the planning process.

“It was agreed at this meeting that in the interests of sharing information and knowledge, this group will continue to meet regularly.”