Tewkesbury Borough Council's Planning Committee will discuss drainage issues for a housing development at its meeting tomorrow (March 18).

Permission for 85 new homes at Chestnut Tree Farm in Twigworth was granted on appeal a year ago. 

But before it can go ahead, a condition around foul drainage needs to be resolved by the Planning Committee. The condition attached to the planning permission said: "Prior to the commencement of development, drainage plans for the disposal of foul water shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. These details will be consistent with the principle that no dwelling is to connect to the public sewer (for foul sewage only) until upgrades have been carried out to the public sewerage system."

The applicant has applied to the council for the words in italics to be removed.

Instead, the proposed amended condition would read: "Prior to the commencement of development, drainage plans for the disposal of foul water shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The submitted details will also ensure that no surface water is to be discharged into the public sewerage system. None of the dwellings hereby approved shall be first occupied until the foul water drainage scheme has been implemented in accordance with the approved details."

But Twigworth Parish Council has objected to the proposal, saying it sets a "highly undesirable precedent".

It adds that the housing would be "overdevelopment utilising a completely ineffectual infrastructure" and that "sewage back-flow into homes and properties is common".

The parish council wants the borough council to keep the drainage condition unchanged until it is satisfied that all required upgrades are completed.

But council officers are recommending that the committee permits the change to the condition.

The condition would still require the approval of foul water details before development works start and those details will need to be implemented before the first resident moves into their new home on the site.

The development site is 10.14ha of agricultural land to the north, east and south of Chestnut Tree Farm, Tewkesbury Road, Twigworth. The main development area extends to approximately 5.3ha. Access to the site would be via Sandhurst Lane leading to the A38.

The majority of the main site lies within Flood Zone 1 (the lowest probability of flooding as defined by the Environment Agency). There is a small area at the south west of the site which is within Flood Zone 2. The northern land is proposed as areas for surface water drainage.

Severn Trent Water (STW) has responsibility for the disposal of foul water and has a statutory duty and powers to ensure it can accommodate new development and a defined funding mechanism for any required upgrades. It has advised that there are two potential improvements to be made in the area.

The network may be included in STW sewer lining programme of works and it falls within the scope of a promoted strategic improvement scheme for North Gloucester, funded by Ofwat.

Ofwat has agreed funding to water companies for network improvement works for 2025 to 2030, giving some certainty that works would be carried out in line with the planning permission. (Housing development work should be started within three years from the date of this planning permission or two years from the date of approval of the last of the reserved matters to be approved, whichever is the later.)

Council officers consider the amendment to the wording of the condition would "result in a development which would have a mechanism to mitigate any impacts from foul drainage and would comply with relevant policies in the plan". Officers are therefore recommending that councillors give the application the go-ahead.