Sewer capacity concern over Exmouth 75 homes plan

SWW assessed sewer capacity and no improvements are needed

Concerns about whether Exmouth’s sewer system could cope with a possible 75-home development on the edge of the town have emerged.

Plans by Eagle Investments have been submitted for land near Kings Garden and Leisure on Hulham Road, but fears over whether the sewers can cope with the extra waste and surface water caused by the proposed scheme have been aired.

Councillor Geoff Jung (Liberal Democrat, Woodbury & Lympstone) has said South West Water’s initial assessments in February suggested a need for investigation of the waste network, and the possible need for some works to be carried out to improve the sewer system’s capacity in relation to surface water.

But more recently, the company has said it is able to provide foul sewerage services from the existing public foul or combined sewer in the vicinity of the site.

“This comment is surprising after a number of incidents of pollution in Exmouth between February and June,” Cllr Jung said.

“Therefore I would like to understand the improvements and works carried out, plus assurances of reduced incidents in the future, preferably from the Environment Agency before I can remove my request for a Grampian order to be placed on this application.”

A Grampian order is used to compel a developer to ensure certain conditions are fulfilled before any homes are developed.

Cllr Jung said the Grampian order he may propose would seek to “ensure no housing is occupied until SWW can ensure the council that the sewage network in Exmouth is capable of accepting this increased flow in storm conditions, to Environment Agency permit standards”. 

A spokesperson for SWW said: “In our initial response we outlined that we would require time to evaluate whether there was a need for upgrades to the wastewater network to ensure it could receive the flows from the proposed site.

“We highlighted that if any upgrades were required, they would take 18 months. But after evaluation it was concluded that upgrades were not needed. We therefore updated our response to the planning application accordingly.”

Besides this issue, concerns about the impact on wildlife as well as the number of homes proposed has caused consternation with residents.

A total of 23 letters of objection have been received from residents, with some claiming the number of homes suggested is more than a third above the 59 homes that are recommended for the site in East Devon’s emerging local plan.

The council is working on a new local plan that will decide which sites are acceptable to be built on between now and 2042, with a total of around 21,000 homes needing to be built in that period.

Some also fear the impact on veteran and ancient trees, historic hedgerows and the damage that would be caused to protected species, including badgers, great crested newts, and 17 species of bat, including the rare Barbastelle bat.

A lack of new infrastructure, such as schools, medical facilities or public transport is also highlighted, meaning many of the objectors consider it “unsustainable”.

However, the proposal is being recommended for approval by officers, albeit with a range of conditions.

That’s because, even though the scheme is outside the area the council currently allows development in, the site is included in the draft local plan that is due for a second round of public consultation later this year before being finalised.

Furthermore, because the council said it cannot demonstrate a five-year housing land supply – a metric required by the government to ensure local councils are approving enough planning applications – the council has to look more favourably on the scheme.

Planning officers state because the site is next to the built-up area boundary, it is considered to be in a sustainable location.

And there will be 18 affordable homes, with the developer also contributing nearly £35,000 towards affordable housing elsewhere in the district.

The council’s planning committee will consider the scheme next week.