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An aerial view of a construction site featuring a circular concrete foundation for a roundabout, surrounded by cleared land and vehicles. In the background, residential houses are visible alongside green fields.
Case Studies

How we worked with Severn Trent Water to improve Scunthorpe’s waste water infrastructure and reduce sewage spills into Bottesford Beck

07 July, 2025

At a glance

There is significant pressure on water and sewage firms to reduce spillages into watercourses, which can be a challenge considering the Victorian sewage infrastructure still in place around the UK

This project, which increases the storage capacity of the sewerage network in Scunthorpe by upsizing pipes and installing underground tanks, aims to improve water quality by reducing spills into the nearby Bottesford Beck

This project increases the storage capacity of the sewerage network in Scunthorpe

 

Dalcour Maclaren’s involvement

  1. Reviewing land options to recommend the best locations to install shaft tanks, including liaising with potential stakeholders and researching planning implications for each site
  2. Surveying  the most appropriate sites, with further investigations as the design phase evolved
  3. Advising on land access and rights, including the statutory powers available under the Water Industry Act 1991 as well as the additional negotiation of easements and land purchases
  4. Stakeholder liaison throughout

As the timeline for this project was so short, our Land, Planning and Geomatics teams all worked concurrently and dynamically with Severn Trent and their appointed contractors to bring the project to fruition.

THE DM DIFFERENCE

We Innovate

At Dalcour Maclaren our goal is to drive the transition to a cleaner, greener future. We’re proud to put our name to projects like this one that move that agenda forward. 

The sewage improvement works at Scunthorpe were a test case for the use of cutting-edge water management technology. In addition to the shaft tanks, Severn Trent also installed new manholes at strategic points which are fitted with an AI-powered gate that monitors the flows. These AI-powered Centaur Gates are being used to increase capacity within the existing network. The hope is that this technology can be used elsewhere in the country to modernise our national sewage system.

But even the most high-tech solutions can’t be harnessed without buy-in from the community. Our most important job was to reassure the landowners and local population that the works were being carried out to restore the water quality and natural ecosystem of Bottesford Beck, improving the environment for everyone to enjoy. 

We Challenge

Considering the tight timescale for this project, it was crucial to ensure that the stakeholders were fully on board with our plans to prevent delays. Three of the four locations selected for the tanks were owned by the local council. As a democratic body with a duty to their constituents, the council had their own rigorous processes in place for decision making and reporting that were out of our control. 

Through consistent communication and negotiation, we worked with the council to address their concerns and reach a settlement that allowed us to proceed at pace. 

As powerful as statutory powers are, we’re always searching for amicable solutions. Listening to a stakeholder’s concerns and meeting them in the middle can turn them from a potential adversary into an ally

We Care

This project embodies our approach and our values: we work as ONETEAM with our client, their contractors and stakeholders to bring about positive environmental change and community benefit. We’re careful to bring every party along with us each step of the way, recognising that the human touch is just as vital to making the project succeed as the clever tech behind it.