DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (128/08) issued by
The Government News Network on 7 May 2008
Three applications
by South West Water to discharge effluent into the Atlantic Ocean
have been refused by Secretary of State for the Environment Hilary
Benn following a public inquiry.
The applications concerned proposed discharges from Tintagel Fine
Screening Installation and Bossiney Sewage Treatment Works in Cornwall.
Objections to the applications were lodged by local resident
group TAIST (Tintagel Against Inferior Sewage Treatment) who were
concerned that the proximity of the villages meant their
discharges should be considered equivalent to those of a single
larger settlement, and should therefore be subject to a higher
level of treatment than South West Water proposed. As a result of
these objections the case was called in for a decision by the
Secretary of State.
Hilary Benn agreed with recommendations made by the Planning
Inspector, who conducted a public inquiry in 2006. In reaching his
recommendations the Inspector took account of information and
evidence provided by all parties, together with the requirements
of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive and Government policy.
He found that Tintagel and Bossiney should be regarded as a
single settlement with a population equivalent of over 2,000,
therefore exceeding the threshold at which a higher level of
treatment is required for coastal discharges. South West Water
will now have to submit alternative plans.
The Inspector's report is available from The Planning
Inspectorate, Room 4/04, Kite Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The
Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN; telephone 0117 372 8726;
E-mail: enquiries@planning-inspectorate.gsi.gov.uk
Notes for Editors
1. Under the Water Resources Act 1991(the WRA), the Environment
Agency (the Agency) has responsibility for the regulation of
discharges to rivers, lakes, tidal, coastal and groundwaters in
England and Wales.
2. To make a discharge, it is a requirement under the WRA 91 to
make an application for consent from the Agency to discharge.
Most applications have to be advertised, and third parties have
the right to lodge representations or objections against the
application to the Agency before a decision is made.
3. The Act also provides objectors with a route to the Secretary
of State to request him to 'call in' an application if
they have continuing concerns about an application not already
addressed by the Agency. This is not a formal appeals mechanism,
but is a means of allowing objectors to draw cases to the
attention of the Secretary of State who considers each call in
request against established criteria. Depending on whether or not
the criteria are met, the Secretary of State can either call in an
application for his own determination or refuse the request, in
which case the application is returned to the Agency for determination.
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