Approved plans to add 153 new homes to the existing community of 350 houses have angered locals, who are already relying on a sewage system they say has been over capacity for years.
Filling the new homes, however, could increase the sewage pollution into the Great Ouse, the river nearby – and people living in the village say it could spell disaster for them too.
Developers argue the plans will generate a £3.5m investment in local infrastructure, and more jobs for the local community.
She told The i Paper: “Our experience here is that anything that stands in the way of housebuilding gets swept under the carpet. Sewage capacity is just one of those things.”
“That has been discussed with the council, and it is only going to get worse.”
Raw sewage spills close to the Great Ouse were recorded for the equivalent of nearly 12 weeks per year constantly in 2024 (Photo: wellsie82/Getty)He claims these issue were being raised as early as the 1970s during the construction of previous housing developments.
Ms Pryke said: “There is no money being put towards upgrading [the sewage system].
“The whole village is shouting about this – it gets tossed aside and swept under the carpet.”
Who decides where sewage investment is made?
In England, the Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) and the water companies, in consultation with the Environment Agency, determine where sewage infrastructure investment will be made together.
Local councils and developers cannot directly influence these decisions or pay for capacity upgrades.
However, their needs, including future housing development, are considered in the process.
Ms Pryke said that houses are being built “all over the country” without anywhere to treat the sewage.
Data from the House of Commons library seen by The i Paper shows the strain the wastewater system is already under. Raw sewage spills close to the Great Ouse were recorded for the equivalent of nearly 12 weeks per year in 2024.
Justin Neal, a solicitor from Wildfish, said he wants ministers to pressure water companies to add capacity in the village.
The River Great Ouse running through Cambridgeshire (Photo: valilung/Getty)
“Putting extra burdens on overwhelmed sewage systems leads to poorly treated sewage and sewage spills into rivers.”
These conditions, he said, are too weak and subject to amendments, under pressure from developers and with “poor advice from water and sewage companies”.
She said that David Wilson Homes South Midlands, the developer behind the new houses, received “enormous amounts of resident scrutiny about these plans”.
square NEWS Thames Water fined £123m over sewage - but not £1 of it earmarked for clean-up
Read More
Ofwat says it has approved an “unprecedented” £104bn expenditure package for companies todeliver over the next five years through its price control.
An Ofwat spokesperson said: “The Independent Water Commission (the Cunliffe Review) offers a chance to help restore public trust in the water sector and address challenges that its regulators face.
A spokesperson for David Wilson Homes South Midlands, said: “We are pleased that our planning application for 153 new homes, which includes 30 per cent affordable homes, in Maids Moreton has been approved.
“On nature, there will be at least a 10 per cent uplift in biodiversity, and we will install bat and bird boxes and hedgehog highways, retain many of the existing trees and hedgerows and plant additional native tree species throughout the site.
“We will ensure a programme of any wastewater upgrades required to support the development has been agreed with Anglian Water. It is also vital that water companies invest in the country’s water and sewerage infrastructure so that we can build the homes the country needs, generating new jobs and driving economic growth.”
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( ‘Sewage is pouring into our gardens – 150 new homes will only make this worse’ )
Also on site :