Water and Wastewater
01962 877414
Our Water and Wastewater Planning Team possesses unrivalled knowledge and specialisms in water industry related planning work. Providing water industry planning services continuously since our formation in 1992, we have extensive experience across a wide range of water and wastewater projects. Our full water and wastewater project team comprises staff at all levels of the Company and, amongst the 7 senior project managers in the team, we possess more than 110 years of relevant water industry experience, including more than 80 years held as planning managers, on a substantial range and number of water industry projects encompassing water resource schemes, pipelines, reservoirs and treatment infrastructure, new wastewater treatment works, sludge treatment and recycling centres, treatment plant, equipment and pipelines, as well as a series of first time sewerage schemes.
Our management of and input to such projects spans all sectors of the planning process, from guiding policy and strategy development, responding to draft policy prepared by others, preparing water resource management plans, identifying appropriate strategies to secure consent for development and promoting and defending permitted development rights. Our consultancy support includes the skilled navigation of our client’s projects through the planning system, from permitted development, to non-EIA development, and from EIA development through to applications for development consent orders. With all of our staff experienced across all of these sectors we are able to provide expert management level consultancy services and in depth planning consultancy staffing resources across all grades to a range of clients and across multiple projects at any given time.
Key to our success as one of the leading planning consultancies for water infrastructure is our relationship with our clients. We are trusted and respected in our field of expertise and approach our appointments very much as a member of the client’s project team. Working closely with clients, co-consultants and engineers we are experienced in successfully managing the interface between water resource planning processes and procedures and the town planning system.
Our skills include:
Planning applications and Environmental Impact Assessment
Water Resources Management and Drought Plans
Wastewater and sludge strategies
Permitted Development advice
Site feasibility and appraisal
Stakeholder engagement and management
Our Projects
Beckton STW Extension
Major infrastructure upgrade for Thames Water
Client: Thames Water
The extension to Beckton STW builds on the previous capacity extension completed in 2014 by adding additional secondary treatment to the works to ensure ongoing resilience to manage population growth into the 2030’s. Providing additional capacity for an approximate 450,000PE, the new extension will also provide additional sludge plant to handle sludge prior to treatment through enhanced digestion or incineration on site.
Following appointment in 2018, Adams Hendry prepared route-to-consent strategies to enable dialogue to be opened with the local planning authority and the Environment Agency. As reference design, EIA Scoping, assessment work and stakeholder dialogue continued during 2019, guided by our planning team, the reference design was able to be refined with client and engineering team input to incorporate necessary mitigation and to respond to stakeholder feedback, allowing detailed reference planning drawings to be prepared by our in-house graphic design team. Through this iterative assessment and design process the clients’ combined engineering, environment and planning team were able finalise the full Schedule 1 EIA planning application for submission.
The application was approved at Committee in spring 2020 under COVID-19 lockdown conditions, following which Adams Hendry led the project team through the process of preparing and submitting further details to secure the discharge of conditions and start on site in 2021.
Woolston Wastewater Treatment Works Upgrade
Bringing forward solutions to overcome significant challenges
Client: Southern Water
Adams Hendry worked with 4Delivery and Southern Water to successfully secure planning permission for the redevelopment and complete modernisation of Woolston Wastewater Treatment Works. The scheme involved a bespoke and architecturally led solution for an ageing and very constrained urban wastewater treatment works site. Lying adjacent to an established residential area, a large sub-regionally significant regeneration site and areas designated of national and international importance for nature conservation, the design was subject to widespread consultation with key stakeholders and the local community at the pre application stage.
South East Water: Water Resources Management Plan
Water Resources Planning to secure sustainable water supplies
Client: South East Water
Adams Hendry provided strategic town planning advice to South East Water for the company’s current Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP). Water Companies have a statutory duty to prepare a WRMP for their supply area looking ahead for at least the next 25 years that sets out how a water company intend to secure sufficient water supplies for residents, businesses and the environment during the plan period. We worked closely with the water resources and environmental teams within South East Water and its technical advisors, Jacobs, to draft the company’s WRMP for the plan period 2015 to 2040. One of our key aims was to ensure that the complex and highly technical water resources planning process was properly explained and translated into a public document, while at the same time meeting strict guidelines set down by the Environment Agency for the preparation of WRMPs.
Lee Tunnel
Provision of major stormwater capture and alleviation infrastructure
Client: Thames Water
Adams Hendry were responsible for securing planning permission for the development of Thames Water’s 6.9km long 8.7m internal diameter sewage storage and transfer tunnel between Abbey Mills Pumping Station and Beckton Sewage Treatment Works.
Since then, Adams Hendry have continued to work with the Lee Tunnel project team and have used their extensive project management and planning consents knowledge and experience to successfully discharge planning conditions and secure approval for scheme amendments as the construction of London’s deepest tunnel progresses to completion.
Cross Solent Water Main
Delivering vital water supplies to the Isle of Wight
Client: Southern Water
The Cross Solent scheme involved the provision of a new twin water supply pipeline across the Western Solent between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The pipeline passes through the New Forest National Park and Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Solent Maritime Special Area of Conservation and the Solent and Southampton Water Special Area of Conservation. The Solent is also an important commercial waterway and internationally noted sailing area and important for both commercial and non-commercial fish species, oysters and clams.
The EIA process and the comprehensive consultation exercise managed by Adams Hendry provided constructive and informative planning advice and recommended a number of amendments to the proposed scheme designed to minimise potential adverse environmental effects.
Southern Water Drought Plan
Planning for Drought situations
Client: Southern Water
Adams Hendry provided advice and support to Southern Water in relation to drought projects across southern England.
We advised on the preparation of Southern Water’s Drought Plan, including stakeholder engagement and the completion of necessary Strategic Environmental Assessment. This builds on the broader work we undertake for Southern Water on water resource management planning and the development of water resource schemes. We also provided advice and support in the preparation and implementation of Southern Water’s Drought Orders and Drought Permits, working closely with engineering and environmental consultants, and undertaking stakeholder engagement prior to publication of the permits and orders.
Swinley Forest Strategic Mains Scheme
Securing critical infrastructure
Client: South East Water
Adams Hendry successfully secured planning permission for South East Water to construct a series of critical water supply and storage pipelines. The majority of the scheme is located in Swinley Forest, which is designated as part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA) and Broadmoor to Bagshot Woods and Heaths Site of special scientific Interest (SSSI)
As the proposals cross the district boundary, Adams Hendry prepared and submitted planning applications to both Bracknell Forest Council and Surrey Heath Borough Council ensuring that the requirements of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations 2011 and the Habitat Regulations 2010 were fulfilled due to the schemes location within an SPA and SSSI. Planning permission was obtained from both local planning authorities within the statutory determination period.
Contact
Andy Blaxland, Gareth Bennett, Suzanne Pidgeon or Andy Turner 01962 877414 | a.blaxland@adamshendry.co.uk
g.bennett@adamshendry.co.uk
s.pidgeon@adamshendry.co.uk
or a.turner@adamshendry.co.uk