A WATER provider said a £21million investment over the next two years will ensure they can support developments such as the Three Elms project.

In last week's paper, Heineken and Sun Valley raised objections to the 1200-home development in the city of Hereford and said it would have a detrimental effect on their water supply for their businesses.

In an objection letter, Heineken said they were concerned about the boreholes which supply 80 percent of their water and said that there is no capacity for the mains system to provide any more than the 20 percent it already provides to the brewing company.

But a Welsh Water spokesman said: "We will always do everything we can to support sustainable growth.

"Over the last two years, we have invested nearly £5 million in our services in Hereford to help improve the resilience of the water and wastewater networks.

"We plan to invest more than £21 million over the next 2 years which will enable us to help support developments such as the Three Elms project as well as future growth planned for the area.

"We also work with stakeholders, such as local businesses, to address any concerns they may have around the potential impact of any proposed development on the services we currently provide.

"To that end, we will liaise with Heineken, so that we can understand their requirements in the area, and if requested, help them with their water supplies."

Outline planning permission is being sought by the Church Commissioners, the financial wing of the Church of England, to build the homes at Three Elms.

Welsh Water is a statutory consultee in the planning process.

The spokesman added: "Our process in considering planning applications always includes the potential impact on our infrastructure in the local area – including the local environment, the service we provide for customers or any possible increased risk to homes and businesses in the area."

A planning date to decide on the Three Elms application is yet to be set but will not be for a few months.