Water firm objects to 150-home Pickering development over sewage capacity

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 17:02 · Archive

Yorkshire Water and Pickering Town Council have objected to plans for 150 new homes, saying the town's sewerage network is already at capacity.

Plans by Persimmon Homes to build up to 150 new homes on an eight-hectare agricultural site south of Firthland Road in Pickering have faced objections from both Yorkshire Water and Pickering Town Council. North Yorkshire Council planning officers are recommending that outline permission be granted, but the objections centre on sewerage capacity concerns.

Yorkshire Water has objected because it says the existing sewerage network and wastewater treatment works do not have sufficient capacity to accommodate the development. The water company warned that allowing additional homes to connect before infrastructure improvements were completed could cause environmental damage and flooding. It stated: 'Our infrastructure in Pickering is already at capacity and cannot accept any additional flows until necessary infrastructure works have been delivered.' Yorkshire Water said it was investigating the investment needed to increase capacity but warned that this would take time.

Pickering Town Council has also objected, warning that additional pressure on the town's overstretched sewerage network could result in further pollution of local waterways and make illegal discharges into the river network inevitable. The council called for strict planning conditions to ensure suitable drainage arrangements and all necessary infrastructure improvements were completed before any new homes were occupied. It also raised concerns about surface water drainage, traffic congestion, road safety, wildlife and proximity to Westgate Carr Industrial Estate, concluding the site was unsuitable for additional housing but acknowledging that the council's shortage of housing land could make the application difficult to refuse.

How it is being reported

• Water firm objects to 150-home plan as sewage network 'already at capacity'Pickering councillors warn sewage pollution could worsen if Persimmon Homes’ plans for 150 houses are approved, despite Yorkshire Water capacity concerns.The Northern Echo · 15 Oct, 16:54
• Water firm objects to 150-home plan as sewage network 'already at capacity'Pickering councillors warn sewage pollution could worsen if Persimmon Homes’ plans for 150 houses are approved, despite Yorkshire Water capacity concerns.Darlington & Stockton Times · 15 Oct, 16:45

In this story: Persimmon Homes · Yorkshire Water · Pickering Town Council · Pickering · North Yorkshire Council

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