Notices
Paddock Wood Town Council > Notices > Environment > Paddock Wood Sewer Works

Paddock Wood Sewer Works

Published on

Introduction

Residents have recently received a letter from Southern Water outlining plans for upgrading the sewer in Paddock Wood.  This follows numerous statements from Southern Water over the last four years that the sewage system in Paddock Wood is at capacity.  This post provides some history, the current proposal and a request for assistance from residents.

Background

Paddock Wood Town Council have been engaging with Southern Water, Greg Clark MP and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council for several years now to ensure delivery of a separate ring main sewer system to serve the 1,200 houses on 3 sites, preventing increased problems for existing residents.

  • Greg Clark, MP has spoken out many times about the need to build infrastructure before the housing. PWTC asked Greg Clark to intervene which resulted in a plan to build a separate system through the three sites and under the railway into the wastewater treatment works.
  • This work could have started on developer land before any of the developers started building but is now being delivered at short notice in residential areas and under roads in Paddock Wood as Southern Water have failed to provide suitable sewage infrastructure in a timely way for the developers.
  • Last year the plan changed to become separate pipework joining into the current system at the Church Farm pumping station, with upsizing of this pumping station.
  • Southern Water have since changed this scheme further to connect the Berkeley Homes site (415 homes) through The Goldings to a new sewage ‘holding tank’ under the road in Ringden Avenue.
  • Southern Water presented two options to PWTC:
    • a pumping station at Foalhurst Wood
    • a large holding tank under Ringden Avenue, with a plan to deliver this option if we did not provide them with a decision.
  • PWTC rejected both options, offering an alternative site for the tank to avoid disruption to Ringden residents if no other options were available.
  • In June, PWTC asked Greg Clark MP to ask Southern Water to review this decision, but have not yet had a reply.

Current situation

  • Southern Water are progressing the work under Ringden Avenue starting in September 2021. This will involve noise and road closures lasting 6 months.
  • PWTC want Southern Water to deliver the original round the town plan but Southern Water state that insufficient space was allocated for a pumping station by the developer on their site.
  • PWTC would dispute this. The area occupied by the workmen’s facilities on Badsell Road would provide a suitable site for the pumping station and has previously been proposed.

PWTC are asking residents to write to:

Please also copy PWTC so we know of your issues. When writing, please include any photos of flooding with reasons for your concerns.

www.paddockwoodtc-gov.uk email: clerk@paddockwoodtc.co.uk

Paddock Wood Town Council