Response from Mr Wallace Park (Individual)
1. Mr Wallace Park (Individual) : 9 Dec 2015 18:02:00
Discussion Paper section
5. Policy Issues
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.
Q23. In Silverdale we have no piped sewage system, and rely largely on septic tanks. In 1995 our groundwater was declared to be vulnerable by the Environment Agency, and pollution was present on the foreshore. As a result the E.A. insisted that new discharges in the Silverdale area had to conform to three stage treatment, i.e. a modern biological treatment plant, U-V sterilisation, and tertiary polishing/filtration. Since 1995 many more houses have been built in Silverdale, but apparently not always conforming to the EA's rules. Caravan sites have more than doubled their capacity. We need an assurance that any building project conforms to the EA's rules in respect of their discharges. The daily load of grey water is 150litres/day/person in the UK (2014 figures), which passes into the ground water. We need to have analyses of the ground water to determine whether our vulnerable water is being further contaminated. The Environment Agency would perform these.
Are there any topics or issues that you think we have missed or that you wish to raise?
Q27. Commenting on S56, land south of Whinney Fold. This greenfield site is being considered at present for a major development (as defined in Town and Country Planning Order 2010) of 19 houses, which cannot be demonstrated to satisfy an overriding national need, or to be in the overriding public interest. It lies in a hollow below the 20metre contour, which would require the grey water and excess rainwater runoff to be pumped out. The southern third of the site has just been flooded to a depth of 2 to 3 feet in the recent rains. If 40 people, say, are going to live in these 19 houses, that would involve about 6000 litres of grey water/day to be pumped out, together with the effects of 1150mm of rainfall per year. Recurrent flooding seems to be an obvious risk.