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Search the Public Notice PortalResidents of a village in the Herefordshire borderlands are alarmed that a new eight-home development will hit their already patchy water supply.
Permission was granted to applicant Claire Price a year ago for the scheme, off Greyhound Close in Longtown, on condition the local water supply was improved before building started.
Earlier this year, Ms Price applied to have this condition removed, saying that local supplier Welsh Water had “found there to be acceptable capacity available in the water supply system to accommodate the development”.
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A later email from her agent to the council’s case officer said the water supply condition had been “incorrectly attached to the decision notice”.
But since then over 30 public objections have been made to the bid, which has yet to be determined, while last month Longtown Group Parish Council said it too “strongly objected” to it following a public meeting.
It pointed out that Welsh Water had formally objected to the condition being removed back in February, when it confirmed there was “insufficient capacity to service the proposed development” without an upgrade.
But following a meeting in late May between Welsh Water and a senior council planner, the water firm changed its view.
“We agree that there is no requirement for the planning condition to be included on the decision notice as there is a duplication of control with Section 41 of the Water Industry Act,” its planning liaison manager told the applicant’s agent in early June.
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Neighbour Robert Arthur said his and others’ objections “highlighted the recognised issues with low water pressure in Longtown”.
He wrote to Welsh Water’s officer asking why its position “may have changed following interactions with the developer and a meeting with the head of planning at Herefordshire Council in May”.
Welsh Water wrote back that the council “has correctly identified that there are additional controls available under the Water Industry Act”, under which “we can regulate new connections separately”.
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“We will not permit new connections to proceed without appropriate mitigation measures being in place” – installed either by Welsh Water or the developer, its reply said.
Herefordshire Council did not respond when asked about the purpose of the May meeting with Welsh Water.
Mr Arthur added: “Building in flood-prone areas gets a lot more attention, but building in drier locations with known water supply issues also carries risks – especially if warmer summer weather becomes the norm.”
Additional reporting by Nicola Cutcher.
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