Sewage works may be unable to cope with new homes, developer admits

Barratt Homes already have permission to build homes on a field bounded by Pilley Green and Lidgett Lane in Pilley, but are in the process of asking Barnsley Council to increase the numbers of houses on the site.

That would have potential implications over issues including sewage and drainage and documents submitted with the application suggest the Tankersley waste water treatment plant, which deals with sewage from the area, “may only have limited space capacity, if any, available”.

The implications of that remain unclear, with the developers still waiting for further information from Yorkshire Water, a company which has recently carried out a year-long upgrade at those works.

Documents also concede that because of hard surfacing to the field, there would be an increased risk of flooding unless action is taken to mitigate that risk, with documents submitted to the council explaining: “The proposed development will result in an impermeable area on the site and therefore unattenuated surface water flows from the development, if not addressed, would increase the flood risk to the local catchment.”

Proposals for the site involve using outsized pipes which could hold flood water as a temporary reservoir during storms, to avoid drains being overwhelmed.

The expectation is they would have enough capacity to cope with a once in 100 years level of rainfall.

It is proposed to use soakaway drains for rainwater if possible, but if not the flow would be directed to enter Birdwell Dyke.

However, Barnsley Council has already made it clear that New Road in the village, which runs alongside the dyke, is already prone to flooding and that the developer must take into access to and from the site during storms.