£20 million investment in Scunthorpe to reduce sewage pollution in watercourses

Dalcour Maclaren (DM) was instructed by Severn Trent Water in February 2023 to provide land and planning services to support the delivery of a high-priority project in Scunthorpe, which will reduce sewage spills into the Bottesford Beck and other watercourses.

Severn Trent is increasing the storage capacity of the sewerage network in the area by upsizing pipes and installing underground tanks, aiming to deliver the scheme by December 2024. DM’s surveyors and planning experts continue to work collaboratively with the project team to secure access and rights for works in private land. Having a proactive, pragmatic approach has been essential in achieving a lot in a short space of time.

Optioneering – Solutions on Private Land

DM were asked to assess a number of different sites on private land and evaluate their suitability from a land and planning perspective. The site constraints reports procured proved to be a valuable tool for the project team, enabling all risks and opportunities to be considered. Survey efforts were then focussed on progressing with the most favourable locations, to ensure maximum efficiency. As the design phase evolved, further possibilities were investigated – each member of the team committed to finding the best, most workable solutions.

Land Access and Rights

A robust land referencing exercise was carried out to identify key landowners and stakeholders affected by the proposals, followed by an effective programme of consultation. DM advised on what statutory powers were available under the Water Industry Act 1991 and where the negotiation of easements and land purchases were needed with some landowners, where works were not covered by the provisions of this legislation. Timescales, challenges and costs were clearly communicated to the project manager to ensure this could be factored into the overall project plan.

Stakeholder Management

Building strong working relationships with stakeholders has enabled their views to be factored in during the processes of securing planning consents, negotiating permanent rights and ahead of serving statutory notices. Concerns surrounding land values, business loss and construction disruption have been addressed with transparency and honesty, resulting in mitigation measures and flexibility where possible to reduce anticipated impacts.

Overall, this important but challenging scheme is progressing, benefitting the environment and local community. Recognised as an industry leader, Severn Trent is investing over £4billion on approximately 2,400 storm overflows on projects just like this one, to improve river health across the region.