Southern Water has written to residents in Paddock Wood to re-assure them that it has plans in hand to deal with the extra strain that will be placed on the town's sewerage system as new housing developments in the area are completed.

Spokesman Ian Parsons said: "We are progressing a detailed design for a scheme which will accommodate waste-water flows from approximately 1,200 new properties across the three development sites at Mascalls Court, Mascalls Court Farm and Church Farm."

He said: "We are investing £4m in the new sewer system, which will comprise a pumping station, new pipelines and modifications to the existing flow conveyance to the waste-water recycling works.

"The pipeline, and associated infrastructure, will bypass the town to ensure there is no impact on the level of service provided to existing properties."

Mr Parsons said that due to the presence of high voltage electricity cables, about 60% of the new pipeline would have to run within the public highway, including Badsell Road and Church Road, which would inevitably result in some disruption.

But he said: "We are organising our plans to minimise this. Other agencies have work planned in the area so we're working with them to co-ordinate our activities."

'We have taken on board local feedback'

Mr Parson said the company was "acutely aware" of concerns even regarding the performance of the existing sewerage network serving Paddock Wood and investigations into the cause of incidents in areas served by the Church Farm Wastewater Pumping Station were under way.

He said: "We are assessing the results of recent CCTV surveys and we plan all of the critical sewers within Paddock Wood as soon as possible." Critical sewers are those larger than 300mm in diameter and are often buried at depth.

The company had earlier proposed building a new pumping station in the car park that serves the Foal Hurst Wood Nature Reserve which is owned by Paddock Wood Town Council - a suggestion that prompted considerable local anger.

But Mr Parsons said: "We have taken on board local feedback regarding the impact of placing a new pumping station within the car park of Foal Hurst Wood and, following discussions with the borough council and developer, we are actively exploring at least two alternative locations and do hope that it is possible to place the pumping station elsewhere."

However, Southern Water would not commit to completely ruling out the Foalhurst Wood car park site. Mr Parsons said: "We will need to look at all relevant constraints, such as technical feasibility, ownership, land designation, flood risk, environmental constraints and other issues before we can identify a preferred location."

Michael Conrad-Pickles is a volunteer conservationist at Foal Hurst Wood said: "If a new pumping station is needed, why can't it be accommodated within the housing development?

"Foal Hurst Wood has really come into its own during the lockdown and has been discovered and enjoyed by many more people.

"To lose a third of the car park would be a major blow."

Mr Conrad-Pickles is supported in his view by Greg Clark, the MP for Tunbridge Wells, who said: "I have written to Southern Water to make it clear that the new pumping station to be built at the Mascalls Farm end of the new pipeline should avoid reducing the car parking available at the Foal Hurst Wood. "

The potential loss of car park space has also angered Paddock Wood Town Council, who said they didn't know of the suggestion until July 29.

Southern Water told councillors the plan was for a new pipeline to be laid along the length of Badsell Road to Mascalls Corner, then under both Maidstone Road at Mascalls Corner and along Mascalls Court Road, under land owned by the town council on Green before finally entering land owned by housing developer Persimmon.

'A case study in failure'

The sewer would then continue along the western edge of the Persimmon development site, turn north along Church Road to join the current sewerage system at the existing Church Farm pumping station on the corner of Le Temple Road.

The council said: "We were Berkeley Homes had no space on their site for the pumping station or the pipe network to serve the houses they are building - this despite knowing that a new sewer would be required since the development was given planning permission four years ago."

Cllr Carol Williams said existing residents were being "held in contempt" - they were facing long delays on three major routes round the town, the potential loss of a third of their car park and no guarantee that existing sewage problems in the Church Farm area would improve.

Peter Smith, the managing director of Berkeley Homes Eastern Counties, said his firm was not responsible for which sewerage scheme was adopted.

He said: "Although we are aware of the ongoing implementation plan for the new sewer network, this is something that Berkeley Homes are not involved in on a day-to-day basis and it is being managed between Southern Water, their delivery partner (MGJV) and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. "

Mr Smith said: "While works of this nature are often disruptive, it is hoped that once the infrastructure improvements are complete these will benefit the community for many years in the future."

Back in October last year, MP Greg Clark quoted the example of the sewage problems in Paddock Wood as "a case study in failure."

Speaking in the House of Commons , he said at present, developers were able to proceed with plans without ensuring the proper infrastructure was in place first.

He said: "Not only is it possible to get away with building new homes without investing in that very necessary infrastructure, but, even more unfairly, the consequences fall not solely or even mostly on the developers or the occupants of new properties, but on the rest of the community."

Mr Clark made "a simple and straightforward proposition" which was that if new development were to take place, it should always be accompanied by the new infrastructure necessary to make the development work."

'Enough is enough'

Although he was talking of problems in Paddock Wood, Mr Clark said: "There are almost identical problems in the parishes of Hawkhurst and

Capel and the towns of Tunbridge Wells and Southborough and many villages as well."

Mr Clark told the Government: "Enough is enough. The people of Paddock Wood are not nimbys opposing all development; quite the opposite.

"In fact the town has, without fuss, accommodated more new development compared with its size than most other

towns in the south-east of England.

"It is perfectly reasonable to demand that, in doing so, residents should not be taken for granted or taken for a ride."

Nevertheless, housebuilder Berkeley Homes has already begun marketing its development of 309 homes at Mascalls Farm without there yet being any agreed plan in place to process their sewage.

Southern Water's 24-hour helpline is 0330 303 0368.

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