FEARS have been raised that 1,200 new homes proposed at Peel Hall could result in properties at nearby Orford being flooded with raw sewage at times of heavy rainfall, if they are connected to the existing drainage system.
Poulton with Fearnhead Parish Cllr. Howard Klein, a construction professional in major projects with over 40 years of experience, raised concerns over drainage systems for the proposed development of 1,200 homes on Peel Hall in an open letter to Warrington Borough Council Chief Executive Prof. Steven Broomhead.
Mr Klein, who attended the Peel Hall developers’ Consultation Meeting at Winwick Leisure Centre last month said: “The developers intend to connect the surface water and foul drains for the development of 1,200 properties onto the existing drainage systems and I ask that you ensure that your officers in the planning and building control departments rigorously interrogate the wisdom of this!
“In January 2023 there were major floods in Orford due to the insufficiency of the existing drains to cope with the heavy rainfall and, therefore, connecting further drains from an additional 1,200 properties as well as from hard surfaces, such as roads, footpaths and property driveways will exacerbate the problem further, especially with the ongoing climate change which has increased the rainfall we are encountering and, with the continuing climate change, will increase the rainfall further.”
He went on to say: ” Whilst Planning Permissions for developments usually state that surface and foul drains should be separate systems, over the last 30-40 years Building Inspectors have allowed surface drains to be connected to the foul drain system on the principle that additional surface water in the foul drains will help flush through the solids in them.
This is not a criticism regarding Warrington’s Building Inspectors, because the procedure has been adopted across the whole of the UK. However, what has been proven is that because of connecting the surface water drains to the foul drainage system is that when the drains flood from heavy rainfalls, this is the primary cause of sewage from foul drains entering the properties.
“Therefore the borough’s planners and building inspectorate should not allow United Utilities to just nod through the Peel Hall developers’ proposals, but should on behalf of Orford and other vulnerable areas downstream from the Peel Hall development, interrogate whether the existing services have the capacity to ensure that existing residents and Council Tax payers are not subjected to bouts of flooding, which would result in sewage entering their properties when heavy rainfall occurs.”
Mr Klein concluded: If an additional load is placed on the existing system from 1,200 additional properties then this will put many Warrington residents at risk of sewage entering their properties when heavy rain falls.
“Please give me and other Warrington residents, especially those living in Orford, an undertaking that the Borough Council’s officers will ensure that the surface and foul drainage from the Peel Hall development will be disposed of without being connected to the existing drainage system.”
A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: “Details relating to the drainage of Peel Hall will be considered by the council on submission and we will consult with United Utilities on this before deciding the proposal.
“The proposal will need to demonstrate suitable and appropriate drainage for the site, taking into account any area-based issues.”
1 Comment
Totally agree, it was a reqirement as mr Klein states that a seperate system is required for foul and surface water, the practice was that surface water didcharged at the nearest brook and the foul went into the nearest public sewer providing the size of such was sufficient to carry the effluent. There can be no doubt at all that the existing drains are no way sufficient to cope with this additional quantity, remembering that st this time a household discharges more sewage than 50 years ago, so this really needs to be questioned by WBC and United utilities ( remembering that UU do not have the best record in this matter of recent times)