Strategic Policy – SP 9: Infrastructure

No change to the Plan

Thank you for consulting Welsh Water, we welcome the opportunity to continue to engage in the LDP process and we offer the following representation for your consideration:
Issues Identification We note and welcome the inclusion of issue 23 regarding infrastructure capacity to support development. The availability of our infrastructure capacity is a key element – particularly in rural areas - in ensuring sustainable and viable development sites.
Strategic Objectives The availability or capacity of infrastructure is a key aspect in determining the sustainability of a settlement, therefore we support the inclusion of SO6 and SO14.
Strategic Growth and Spatial Options We note that the Council identifies a growth requirement of 8,822 new homes over the revised LDP period 2018-2033.
Preferred Spatial Option Whilst we are supportive of the hybrid option and are pleased to note that it acknowledges the need for development to be supported by a range of appropriate infrastructure, there will inevitably be certain areas – particularly in the more rural locations of the County – where water or sewerage infrastructure is limited in its availability.
Placemaking, Infrastructure and Cohesive Communities We welcome the sentiment of paragraph 9.43. Where there is insufficient infrastructure capacity and development wishes to connect in advance of our AMP capital investment, planning obligations or a commercial agreement are the most appropriate way in ensuring delivery of necessary supporting infrastructure. We also welcome the inclusion of paragraph 9.47 and further commentary can be found in respect of the policy INF4.
Policies
SG1: Regeneration and Mixed-Use Sites Please see appendix 1 for site allocation comments.
SG2: Reserve Sites We note that the reserve sites will only be released for development if the allocations fail to deliver the required growth, and that the decision to utilise the sites will be made as part of a formal plan review. As such we will be happy to provide comments regarding capacity to accommodate sites in due course.
SG3: Pembrey Peninsula Most of the peninsula is unsewered and does not have a water supply with only elements of the southeast of the peninsula currently served by either. As such, any proposals for development may require significant offsite water mains and sewers to connect to existing networks. Further to this, the Pembrey Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) that serves the southeast of the peninsula may require additional capacity to accommodate any further development and developers may need to fund reinforcement works at the WwTW.
HOM1: Housing Allocations Please see appendix 1 for site allocation comments.
SP6: Strategic Sites Given that both sites have extant planning permission we have nothing specific to advise.
EME3: Employment Proposals on Allocated Sites The following provisions are applicable to all individual development plots located within allocated employment sites:
• We will work with your authority to support sustainable economic development however your authority and potential developers should be aware that the obligations of a water and sewerage undertaker extends to ‘domestic’ supplies only. Where an employment allocation results in higher demands of water supply and/or trade effluent discharges we recommend and welcome early consultation with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water.
• The individual plots available for development can represent a substantial area of land for which the potential demands upon our assets are unknown at present. It is essential that we understand these demands to allow us to assess the impact on our assets. It may be necessary for water and/or sewerage hydraulic modelling assessments (HMAs) to be undertaken at the developer’s expense to establish where the proposed development could connect to the existing networks, and to identify any required infrastructure improvements.
• Water mains and/or sewerage infrastructure required for any potential development site can be acquired through the requisition provisions of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended).
• Welsh Water always has rights of access to its assets. Where there are water mains and/or sewers crossing sites then protection measures in respect of these assets will be required, usually in the form of an easement width or in some instances a diversion of the asset.
• If any development site gives rise to a new discharge (or alters an existing discharge) of trade effluent, directly or indirectly to the public sewerage system, then a Discharge Consent under Section 118 of the Water Industry Act 1991 is required from Welsh Water. Please note that the issuing of a discharge consent is independent of the planning process and a consent may be refused despite planning permission being granted.
SP9: Infrastructure The availability or capacity of infrastructure is key in determining a settlement’s sustainability as such we welcome the provisions of this policy in requiring development to ensure sufficient capacity is available or if not, that suitable arrangements are in place to provide the necessary capacity.
With specific regard to water and sewerage infrastructure, where there is insufficient capacity and where no reinforcement works are programmed within the respective AMP Capital Investment Programme, the requisition provisions can be entered into for water and sewerage network infrastructure. The requisition provisions do not apply to wastewater treatment works (WwTW) and planning obligations, or a commercial agreement, may be necessary.
We welcome the reference in the supporting text to Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). Welsh Water is embarking on the preparation of developing Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMP) which Welsh Government may be minded making statutory in due course. Growth information is built into our DWMP and forms an important element of our planning which aims to understand how we will continue to deliver effective sewerage services and manage the proactive development of natural flood management for a growing population in the face of climate change and other challenges.
Critically the DWMP considers the impact of changing population on our assets and the subsequent effect to customers and on the environment. As such we believe that the DWMPs will play a role in delivering a holistic, prioritised approach to the management of our drainage and sewerage network in the years ahead, and will complement other planning documents including LDPs, the NDF, and SDPs. To maximise the potential benefits, we are continuing to work closely with our stakeholders and LPAs in the continued development of our DWMP.
INF1: Planning Obligations Where there is insufficient infrastructure capacity available to accommodate a site and development wishes to connect in advance of any AMP capital investment, planning obligations or a commercial agreement are the most appropriate way in ensuring delivery of necessary supporting infrastructure.
INF4: Llanelli Wastewater Treatment Surface Water Disposal We are supportive of the provisions of this policy and the supporting text; moreover, we are pleased to note that the matter has been given its own specific policy. We have also prepared a consultation response to the Burry Inlet SPG which provides further detail on this matter.
SP10: Gypsy and Traveller Provision - Please see appendix 1 for site allocation comments.

SP12: Placemaking and Sustainable Places We specifically welcome the inclusion of criteria k) in Policy SP12. Disposing of surface water in a sustainable manner ensures that it will not communicate with the public sewerage network, which protects the environment and ensures that there is sufficient capacity in the public sewerage network for foul-only flows from development sites. On the theme of SuDS, we welcome the inclusion of the supporting text at paragraphs 11.273 to 11.275 regarding the recently established SuDS Approval Boards (SABs).
PSD3: Green Infrastructure Network We welcome the provisions of this policy and the supporting text. The integration of SuDS as a Green Infrastructure asset is something that we are particularly supportive of.
SP16: Climate Change We are supportive of the inclusion of SuDS in new development and as such welcome the provisions of criterion b) of this policy.
CCH4: Water Quality and Protection of Water Resources we welcome the requirement in supporting paragraph 11.510 that the necessary infrastructure needs to be in place or will be provided to serve development however we would highlight that in cases where there are no plans in place for infrastructure improvements in our AMP investment programme, developers can pay for the necessary infrastructure themselves through the requisition provisions of the Water Industry Act (WIA) 1991 or via Planning Obligations Agreements under the TCPA 1990. It should be noted that the requisition provision of the WIA 1991 only applies to sewerage network reinforcement works, not to WwTW schemes. Funding to deliver reinforcement works at a WwTW can be delivered via Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
In relation to improving water quality, we are investing an additional £60m specifically to reduce phosphate in the five failing Special Area of Conservation (SAC) rivers in our operating area. This includes schemes at Lampeter and Llanybydder WwTWs that are due for completion by March 2025. In the next investment period 2025 to 2030 (AMP8) we will target investment with the ambition that none of our WwTWs are the cause of ecological failure. Through our phosphorus investment plan, we will have removed 90% of the phosphorus load from our WwTWs discharging to failing SAC rivers, playing our part in allowing these special rivers to meet their water quality targets and to relieve pressure on development restrictions. We expect to complete this programme of work by 2032. Whilst our investment will remove a significant amount of phosphorus from our sewage, in most cases it will not result in SACs complying with the water quality targets on its own. This is not something that Welsh Water can do on its own and it will take the combined efforts of all the contributing sectors to achieve this.

We will be engaging with our regulators and local planning authorities through the Tywi and Teifi Nutrient Management Boards (NMB) which can provide the governance, strategic direction and local intelligence/decision making needed if we are to be successful in relieving the pressure on planning restrictions and restoring river quality.
With regard to supporting text in paragraph 11.516, there are several locations within the County where we abstract water that is treated prior to entering the public water supply network. As such, we fully support the provisions in the supporting text of this policy in preventing the degradation of water resources.

TRA1: Transport and Highways Infrastructure Improvements There may be locations where proposed developments / routes pass over public sewers and water mains. Under the Water Industry Act 1991 we have rights to always access our apparatus and protection measures in respect of these assets will be required either in the form of an easement width or a possible diversion of the asset. We welcome early engagement once further detail is available.
MR1: Minerals Proposals We welcome the inclusion of criterion e) and k) of this policy.
We hope that the above information will assist you as you continue to progress the LDP2 and would encourage the LPA to continue to liaise with Welsh Water at each stage of the process. In the meantime, should you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact us at Forward.Plans@dwrcymru.com or via telephone on 0800 917 2652.