Decision details

Revised Southern Water Water Resource Management Plan Consultation

Decision Maker: Cabinet

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

To consider a further consultation on the Southern Water Revised Draft Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) following consultation in 2023 and feedback received,

Decision:

RESOLVED: That

 

1.  Maidstone Borough Council’s (“the Council”) response to Southern Water’s Water Resources Management Plan consultation, attached as Appendix 1 to the report, is submitted to Southern Water.

 

2.  The Cabinet Member of Planning Policy and Management sends a letter to Southern Water with concerns in relation to waste water and treatment sites.

 

3.  The Cabinet Member of Planning Policy and Manager sends a letter to South East Water outlining points in the further comments section of the response to Southern Water.

Reasons for the decision:

A consultation on the Southern Water Revised Draft Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) runs from 11 September to 4 December 2024.  A previous consultation took place between 14 November 2022 and 20 February 2023 on an earlier version of the document.

 

The consultation has a standard template to collect responses. The Council’s proposed response to the consultation is attached in Appendix 1 of the report.

 

There are two water companies that operate within Maidstone Borough. These are Southern Water and South East Water. These do the following:

 

·  Southern Water – water supply to the north of the Borough around Bredhurst and wastewater to the rest of the Borough.

 

·  South East water – water supply to whole borough minus northern part and no wastewater supply.

 

This consultation only affects water supply by Southern Water. Thus, only residents in the north of Boxley Downs Ward. As such wastewater issues are not the focus here as they fall outside of the remit of this consultation. A separate letter to Southern Water on the issue of poor water quality caused by wastewater contamination and the problems in the wastewater system is intended to be sent from the Cabinet Member for Planning Policy and Management.

 

For South East Water their WRMP was approved by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and adopted August 2024.

 

A WRMP is: ‘a legal document that describes the steps we need to take to make sure there is enough water for everyone in our region, now and in the future, and to protect and enhance our shared environment.’ They are required every 5 years, and the present plan is to maintain water supply over the timeframe 2025-2075. The plan covers the Southern Water supply area see Figure 1:

 

The full technical WRMP report can be found via the link in Background Document 1 of the report. Below is a summary of the document.

 

The WRMP includes the following:

 

·  Explanation of what a WRMP is

·  Progress since the previous WRMP was adopted

·  The plan for the time period 2025-75

·  What the demand situation will be 2025-75

·  An appraisal of the options

·  The proposed revisions since the last consultation

 

In summary the plan proposes the following:

 

·  Reducing leakage by 53% by 2050

·  Reducing average daily water usage to 110 litres per person by 2045

·  A 9% reduction in non-household water use by 2038

·  Water recycling

·  More water transfers and pipelines

·  Improving groundwater sources and developing new ones

·  New desalination schemes

·  Developing a new reservoir

·  Improved partnerships to help maintain water supply

·  Storing more water underground

·  Short term resilience measures in Hampshire

·  Ending the use of drought permits and orders after 2041

 

The main changes since the last WRMP consultation are:

 

·  Updated growth forecast (population & households)

·  Updated water supply forecast

·  Removal of desalination plant on the Sussex coast

·  Revisions to the delivery timescale of some of the proposed projects

·  The removal of a recycling scheme

·  Reduction on the reliance of drought measures in Hampshire and Sussex after 2030.

 

Specific schemes summarised between 2025-27 local to Maidstone Borough are as follows:

 

·  Reduction of leaks

·  Reduction of water usage

·  To apply for drought permit/order on the River Medway to continue abstraction during dry weather

·  To recycle water from a water recycling plant near Aylesford and release it into the River Medway from where it will be abstracted and treated at a water supply works

·  Catchment schemes to address nitrates and pesticides and improve the resilience of our water sources.

 

Summary of Maidstone Borough Council response

 

A draft response to the consultation has been prepared using the consultation questionnaire and this is attached for consideration at appendix 1 of this report. Also outlined below is a summary of the proposed responses.

 

The Council is supportive overall of the approach taken by Southern Water. Upon responding to the consultation, it has used the following adopted strategies of the Council: Maidstone Borough Local Plan Review 2021-2038, Maidstone Biodiversity and Climate Change Strategy, Maidstone Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan, Maidstone Infrastructure Delivery Plan.

 

In summary the Council response notes the following:

 

·  Water efficiency should be promoted (Maidstone Biodiversity and Climate change Strategy and Policies LPRSP14(c) and LPRQD1 of the Local Plan Review 2021-2038)

·  Water supplies should be maintained (Maidstone Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan Action 5.3)

·  Water quality should be maintained (Maidstone Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan Action 6.5 and Policy LPRSP14(a) of the Local Plan Review 2021-2038)

Alternative options considered:

That the Cabinet coukd not approve the Council’s draft response (at Appendix 1 of the report) to the consultation. However, this would mean the response would not be sent and the Council’s views on the consultation would not be duly submitted.

Wards Affected: (All Wards);

Contact: Tom Gilbert Email: tomgilbert@maidstone.gov.uk.

Report author: Tom Gilbert

Publication date: 22/11/2024

Date of decision: 20/11/2024

Decided: 20/11/2024 - Cabinet

Effective from: 30/11/2024

Accompanying Documents: