Water Delivery Taskforce negotiates agreement with utility which had concerns over capacity

The government’s Water Delivery Taskforce has moved in to unblock more than 18,000 homes across eastern England which had been held up by an impasse over wastewater treatment capacity.

The Water Delivery Taskforce, which was set up last year, stepped in as Anglian Water previously objected to several large-scale developments due to concerns over wastewater treatment capacity.

Under the new agreement, developers, planners and the water company will work together earlier on schemes of more than 500 homes allowing wastewater upgrades to be designed and delivered over successive investment periods rather than holding up planning decisions.

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Plans for more than 18,000 homes had been held up over wastewater concerns

Environment secretary Emma Reynolds said: “This is another success story for the government’s Water Delivery Taskforce, which has already unblocked over 55,000 homes with solutions driven by pragmatic thinking and long-term strategy.”

The developments now a step closer to being built include 7,750 homes planned for Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community as well as 3,200 homes at Baldock in Hertfordshire.