By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
Plans for 30 homes in a Cotswold village have been approved despite serious concerns residents cannot use their toilets for up to 48 hours at times due to an inadequate sewage system.
Eagle One Homes have been granted outline permission to build the new homes along with car parking, public open space and sustainable drainage system on north of Folly View in Broadway Road, Willersey.
Cotswold District Council’s planning committee considered the controversial proposals this week amid opposition form hundreds of people.
Roger Webb, a resident who objected to the scheme, was among those to speak at the meeting of the serious sewage and flooding problem affecting the village.
He said Willersey has suffered with the issue for more than a decade and called for the plans to be rejected.
“These are live documented failures of the existing infrastructure,” he said.
“Two weeks ago after a single day of rain, Severn Trent deployed road tankers for 36 hours to prevent the Badsey Lane Pumping Station from being overwhelmed,” he said.
“Last weekend, after two days of rain, two standalone pumps and two 5,000 gallon temporary holding tanks were sited to protect the station and, of course, the village.”
District Councillor Tom Stowe (C, Campden and Vale) also spoke against the scheme.
He said villagers are pragmatic about development in Willersey but flooding and drainage is a huge problem.
“The sewage network is demonstrably unfit for purpose, even for existing homes, let alone new developments,” he said.
Cllr Stowe said it has been an issue for 20 years and he has witnessed the problem first hand.
“I’ve been stood on Colin Lane in periods of rainfall and a main highway manhole cover weighing in the region of 20 to 25kg has been blown clear by pressure in the system 25 metres down the road,” he said.
“It is sheer luck that nobody has been seriously injured. There’s flood water infused with raw sewage a foot deep in the road seemingly flowing into other watercourses.
“Residents’ gardens are left contaminated with raw sewage and toilet waste.
“Homes experience backing up in the network meaning residents are unable to use their toilets for up to 48 hours at a time.”
He said this is the reality on the ground and called for the strongest conditions are imposed if the proposals are granted permission.
Willersey Parish Councillor Jane Rintoul said it was one of two proposals for the village which would total 90 new homes.
She said Willersey, which has a population of around 900 people and 495 homes, has had a significant growth of houses over the last ten years.
Cllr Rintoul warned that Willersey’s infrastructure is not growing and is in decline and said the proposals were a substantial cumulative development within the nationally protected landscape.
“Our shop closed in 2020 and the nearest convenience store in Broadway ceased trading last month,” she said.
“Our school is full in some key age groups with no physical capacity to expand the existing building.”
She also said most residents are registered with GPs in Worcestershire and with hourly buses only running at peak times it will increase private car dependency.
Ed Leeson, speaking for Eagle One Homes, said the development was a modest edge of a settlement site.
“It is not an isolated incursion into the countryside nor speculative sprawl but a contained extension to the village assessed by officers as capable of appropriately accommodating development,” he said.
He also explained that the initial proposed number of homes was reduced from 50 to 30.
The development would not be separate or visually prominent with additional planting helping assimilate the new estate into its surroundings.
“The applicant recognises the local concerns regarding drainage and flooding risk and the proposals have been subject to detailed consideration and ongoing engagement with the lead local flooding authority and Severn Trent Water,” he added.
He said a robust drainage strategy can be delivered without increasing flood risk elsewhere.
During the debate, councillors followed the officer’s recommendation to approve the scheme subject to no objection from Gloucestershire County Council, the lead flood authority.
The committee voted to approve the scheme by seven votes in favour, one against and one abstention.