Response from Mr Jeremy Pickup, Environment Agency
1. Mr Jeremy Pickup, Environment Agency : 26 Jan 2016 15:53:00
A typed or handwritten document was submitted. This has been scanned and can be downloaded below:
Please make your comments below on the section you have selected. Where appropriate, make reference to the paragraph number you are referring to, your preferred option, the question number asked in the Discussion Paper and the reference number of the site you are commenting on.
Dear Sir/Madam
Arnside & Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Development Plan Document (DPD) - Issues and Options Consultation
Thank you for consulting the Environment Agency on the above document which forms part of the Lancaster City Council and South Lakeland District Council Local Plans.
Overall we support the content, structure and approach of the AONB consultation document.
We are pleased that flood risk and drainage are included as policy issues in the draft document. Please see our comments below in response to Q23: what are the implications for development in places without mains drainage or mains sewerage systems?
Private sewage treatment infrastructure (septic tanks and more likely sewage treatment plants) are likely to be adequate for the scale of housing development envisioned for the AONB. However, for Silverdale the current requirement for higher than average standard of sewage treatment (as outlined in the attached Environment Agency’s Local Planning Guidance issued to Lancaster City Council’s Development Management Team) will need to be continued to mitigate against impacts on its vulnerable groundwater.
We’d recommend that the requirement for the higher standard of sewage treatment for Silverdale be incorporated as policy into the DPD to reflect the importance of this need and we would be happy to discuss this with you further.
Yours faithfully
Jeremy Pickup
Planning Advisor - Sustainable Places
[SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENT]
