Dear Sir,
Planning Application no. 15/03425/CMA - Proposed development at Basingstoke Sewage Treatment Works
I am responding to the public consultation on the planning application submitted by Thames Water to construct at Basingstoke Sewage Treatment Works an Enhanced Sludge Digestion Scheme with anaerobic digestion and thermal hydrolysis, for the processing of indigenous and imported waste water sludge. I am responding as the Member of Parliament for Basingstoke; Basingstoke Sewage Treatment Works (STW) falls within my constituency.
I am objecting to the proposed development put forward by Thames Water on the grounds that it will have an unacceptable impact on the already chronic traffic congestion on the A33 and wider road network in Basingstoke; and that it will become a significant odour nuisance to local residents given the large scale housing development planned for the immediate vicinity of the STW.
The proposals put forward by Thames Water will mean a considerable increase in the movement of heavy goods vehicles to and from the site. The documents supporting the application quantify this as an additional 14 movements per day, amounting to 70 additional vehicles movements per week. However, the number of lorry movements envisaged has varied widely over the course of the last two years; in October 2013 I was told there would be an additional 17 movements per day; in October 2014 this soared to an additional 49 per day; and has now been drastically cut, to 14 per day. There is no apparent rationale for this extraordinary cut and it is deeply worrying for local residents that the number of lorry movements could again increase to around 50 per day, once planning permission has been secured and the new plant becomes operational.
Any additional heavy goods traffic would have a significant impact on the already chronically congested local road network and my concerns are heightened given the draft Local Plan proposals regarding house building in the vicinity of the STW, which will only exacerbate the traffic problems.
I am also very concerned about the impact that the proposed extension of the sewage works and new processes would have on residents’ quality of life. Residents of Chineham and Old Basing already experience odour problems from the STW depending on the prevailing wind. While there are relatively few homes in the immediate vicinity of the STW, the draft Local Plan which is currently being examined by the Planning Inspector identifies a number of sites for development very close to the STW. This means that, over time, many hundreds of new homes will be built very close to the STW and odour problems are likely to become a very real issue for residents.
I note from the application documentation that a large number of STWs in the area were evaluated and ruled out from expansion for a variety of reasons. A number of STWs were ruled out on the ground that there has been complaints about odour from local residents. The only “negative” point attributed to Basingstoke was the large scale housing envisaged in the Local Plan. It seems counterintuitive for Thames Water not to have projected the odour impact that the expansion and additional processes would have on future residents.
My concerns about the Thames Water plans are exacerbated by the experiences reported to me by my constituents living in Hatch Warren and Beggarwood, regarding the operation of the Tamar Anaerobic Digester at Kennel Farm. Residents have complained of levels of HGV traffic far in excess of that envisaged in the “traffic agreement” from the time planning permission was granted with regular infringements of the traffic agreement by lorries visiting the site out of hours or during the school run. There are also very regular complaints from residents close to the site of smells from an operation which they were assured would be sealed and “could not” emit smells.
For the reasons set out above, I request that this planning application is rejected.
Yours faithfully,
Rt Hon Maria Miller MP