Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Environment

Forward Plan Ref: 2018/142

Contact: Dawn Pettis, Strategy Planning Team Leader Tel: (01865) 815320/Amanda Jacobs, Principal Infrastructure Planner Tel: 07825 314772

Report by Director for Planning & Place (CA10).

Thames Water are currently consulting on their Revised Draft Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) 2019 which looks ahead to 2100.

The consultation documents outline the changes to the original Draft WRMP and include the preferred demand management and water supply options for Thames Water and the wider South East region.

The Cabinet paper acknowledges some progress that Thames Water has made in terms of commitment to further reduction in leakage. However, concerns remain on the calculations used by Thames Water to underpin their preferred plan and the principle of a proposed reservoir in Abingdon. The paper also discusses high level transport issues that Thames Water needs to consider, should the proposed reservoir progress. 

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)          Consider the issues and the draft response in Appendix 1, and provide comments as appropriate.

(b)          Agree that the final response to the consultation be signed off by the Director for Planning and Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Environment.

Recommendations agreed subject to the response being strengthened in line with Cabinet comments about increasing the rate of reduction of leakages and strengthened demands for a regional plan. Cabinet also agreed an additional recommendation calling for a public enquiry.

Thames Water are currently consulting on their Revised Draft Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) 2019 which looks ahead to 2100.

Cabinet considered a paper recommending a consultation response to the latest consultation documents that outlined the changes to the original Draft WRMP and included the preferred demand management and water supply options for Thames Water and the wider South East region.

Mr Stork, Chairman of GARD (Group Against Reservoir Development), supported the recommendations but wished to see a stronger response, referring to a briefing note the Group had made available to Cabinet Members. The response although referring to flooding risk did not mention the increased flooding risk. There was too much emphasis on water resources across the whole of the South-East. The Group urged the Council to call for a public enquiry as the only way to obtain factual clarification on a range of points. Councillor Constance commented on the points raised noting that the county council was unclear what the level of water demand in Oxfordshire will be and that Oxfordshire should not supply the whole of the midlands and south-east.

Councillor Fox-Davies, local councillor for Hendreds and Harwell, where half the villages would border the proposed reservoir highlighted the need for Thames Water to address the leakage issue and to consider alternatives to the reservoir. He was pleased that the council was objecting but asked Cabinet to consider calling for a public enquiry.

Councillor Sanders, Shadow Cabinet Member for Environment, supported the recommendations, expressing concern at the business model proposed by Thames Water. The targets on reducing water leakage were not sufficient.

Rachel Wileman, introduced the contents of the report.

During discussion, Cabinet supported the suggested draft response subject to it being strengthened to press for an increase in the rate of reduction of leakages and strengthened demands for a regional plan, together with a call for a public enquiry. Councillor Constance moved the recommendations subject to the comments and with an amendment pressing for a public enquiry.

RESOLVED:             to:

(a)          Consider the issues and the draft response in Appendix and provide comments as appropriate.

(b)          Agree that the final response to the consultation be signed off by the Director for Planning and Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Environment.

(c)          Press for a public enquiry.