Legal challenge launched to block 170-home development in Aylesbury Vale over sewage concerns

WildFish, a conservation charity, is taking Bucks Council to court over the decision to approve a development of up to 170 homes in Maids Moreton.

Planning permission has been granted for a new neighbourhood off Walnut Drive And Foscote Road in the village.

However, residents and wildlife campaigners have raised the alarm over potential sewage spills that could be caused by adding to the village’s population.

It is feared that the housing complex could put a further strain on Buckingham’s sewage system at Buckingham Water Recycling Centre and will lead to the Great Ouse river being polluted.

The charity has raised concerns regarding the use of Buckingham sewage treatment works to deal with waste coming from the new site. It claims that the works are struggling to keep to permit limits.

Anglian Water also objected to the scheme, a spokesperson said the Buckingham site lacks the capacity to accommodate the additional flows generated by the proposed development.

A planning officer representing Bucks Council said that reinforcement works would need to be built as part of the project to address pollution fears before the development is constructed.

Barratt Homes is overseeing the potential housing operation. In its planning statement the company outlined plans to build 49 affordable homes and 114 private dwellings. According to the plans, the housing complex, which would be built on disused agricultural land would be a biodiversity net gain. The new neighbourhood would include a mix of homes starting with one-bedroom properties, up to five-bedroom homes with everything in between.

WildFish has linked its legal challenge to a wider campaign the not-for-profit organisation runs across the country, which can be viewed online here.

Justin Neal, a solicitor at WildFish said: “This is a case which illustrates the real problem faced in England where planning permissions and approvals are made without proper consideration of the impacts on the environment. That includes the effect of putting extra burdens on an overwhelmed sewage system which leads to poorly treated sewage and sewage spills into rivers.”

Maids Moreton Parish Council also objected to the scheme, a spokesperson said in a letter of objection: “Anglian Water has made it quite clear that Buckingham WRC does not have capacity to accommodate additional flow from this development and also lays out clearly how they propose to remedy the situation, noting that it depends on their proposed business plan being approved by Ofwat. Consequently, there is presently no clear date as to when the capacity of Buckingham WRC will be enhanced to meet future demand.”

The parish council also said that residents were already dealing with contaminated flooding issues within the Buckingham area and that the current foul water drainage within Maids Moreton is inadequate.

A clerk representing the neighbouring parish council in Great Horwood warned that flooding and sewage overspills were becoming increasingly common issues for people living in the region.

Since the Buckingham sewage system was first flagged as being at full capacity an estimated 1,500 new homes have been constructed in and around the town.