Greater attention needs to be paid to these wider service and infrastructure issues at local, regional and national level to take an holistic approach to development.

At its meeting on 20th February, Kirby Cane & Ellingham Parish Council took the view that the plan was unsound because it does not fulfil the objective “to protect village communities and support rural services and facilities” because there was no indication that wider services such as health and education, already under significant strain, would be improved, and also fails to comply with the duty to co-operate as it does not take account of the concerns of the community about this.
Also, residents voiced concerns about whether the sewage system could deal with existing demand, let alone 25 more properties.

The sewage and waste water network needs to be upgraded to always be fit for purpose as is and certainly upgraded to take the effluent from additional housing and people. The existing sewer system must therefore be inadequate for its intended purpose to service the new proposed development.

1.Blocking Sewer pipes in Mill Rd Ellingham NR35 2PY:

We live at 62 Mill Road Ellingham NR35 2PY and we would like to make you aware that the properties from 62 to 68 Mill Road have ongoing problems with blocked sewers.

We have a manhole for these properties in our back garden as the main run from these four properties pass through our property.

This manhole is about 6 foot deep and has filled to the top and overflowing on several occasions recently. Anglia water has frequently been called to clear these blockages so will have an ongoing record of these events.

When the sewers are blocked we cannot flush our toilet or use the washing machine, dish washer or take a shower. Our neighbours are under the even more constrictions as their toilets actually back up in the house and cannot be flushed without the risk of overflowing.

The only way we can get the sewers cleared and running freely is for Anglian Water to visit the properties and identify the fault, which usually always in the main sewer pipe run further down Mill Rd. This visit may take a few days to happen.

If you go ahead with the proposed 37 house to be built at the South of Mill Rd plus those at Florence way our sewers may well be even more of a problem due to the extra number of people discharging into this sewer which is clearly not fit for purpose at this present time, especially for those dwellings at the end of the main sewer pipe run .

The adjacent houses have all experiences their toilets backing up especially after heavy rain.

I understand that the sewage plant servicing Ellingham is possibly inadequate to process the existing sewage and combined rain water run off load but is listed on documentation as operating at 70% capacity. Add on this extra capacity requirement and problems can be predicted to be even more frequent with nasty consequences.

At peak times when both surface water, rain and sewage are discharged into this system it is plainly not fit for purpose and is therefore a potential health risk as raw sewage may well flood the gardens or indeed interiors of these houses with the ensuing pollution and health risks.

Adding additional housing stock without addressing this issue can only make matters worse

A completely new sewerage system or even better, a different location for the houses.

The present sewers are unable to cope with the houses we have already. We are regularly having blocked toilets and pipes. I am at the end of the line and the first to get blocked pipes and have waste backup from around ten houses, into my garden. Anglian Water have been out many times, but we have to wait two days for them, and use the garden meanwhile. This is totally unacceptable. More houses would have a very negative impact on my neighbours and myself. I'm fed up with receiving other peoples waste.