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05
Mar
Questions asked as work begins on new sewer pipeline through Harrogate beauty spots
A pipeline to carry sewage away from new housing in Harrogate is to be laid through some of the most beautiful parts of the town, it has been revealed.
Yorkshire Water has already started preparatory work on the sewer, which will lead from Harlow Hill wastewater pumping station at the entrance to RHS Harlow Carr, to Harrogate South wastewater treatment works in Crimple Valley.
Along the way, the five kilometre long pipeline will skirt under farmland around the south and west of the town, and cut across land recently mooted as the site for a new ‘wild’ common between Harrogate and Pannal.
The 5km pipeline will be laid between RHS Harlow Carr and the Crimple Valley.
Hedgerow removal
This will involve the removal of more than half a kilometre of established hedgerows – 20 metre sections at 26 different points – even though the pipe itself will only measure between 200mm and 300mm (8 to 12 inches) in diameter.
The work is scheduled to take 15 months, during which time public footpaths and bridleways may be closed.
The project will also entail the installation of two new storage tanks to hold up to two million litres of excess wastewater and rainwater during periods of bad weather to prevent it from being discharged from storm overflows.
Access road through Sandy Bank Wood
But in order to be able to position one of them, it is understood Yorkshire Water will have to build an access route through the middle of Sandy Bank Wood, a site of importance for nature conservation (SINC) on the edge of Pannal. It says that alternatives were explored “at length”, but this was the only viable option.
Local resident Anne Smith told the Stray Ferret:
This is very distressing news. My family and I have enjoyed Sandy Bank Quarry for 60 years. It is so peaceful and beautiful a quiet sanctuary for wildlife. Yorkshire Water will destroy it.
We feel so strongly about this. It is the beginning of the end. Housing is the next step. I and others do and we must protect what we have left.
Sandy Bank Wood in Pannal.
In a letter to members, Friends of the Earth Knaresborough and Harrogate expressed concern at what some see as a lack of sufficient consultation:
Many residents feel that the scheme has progressed to the point of imminent clearance without a full public understanding of alternatives or long-term impact.
That is the concern. This is not opposition to necessary infrastructure, but concern that the western edge of Harrogate is being reshaped incrementally, without a coherent framework or cumulative assessment.
Developments - both built and proposed - around the Western Arc.
New homes
But Yorkshire Water said that the project was necessary due to the town’s growth. There are already planning permissions in place for 2,000 new homes in Harrogate’s so-called ‘western arc’, and many of the objections to them have focused on the lack of infrastructure development. Yorkshire Water says this project directly addresses this concern.
Pamela Ajayi, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said:
This is an incredibly important scheme for the Pannal area, and the resilience of the network as the area grows.
We'll be working quickly, and doing everything we can to keep residents informed, and disruption to a minimum. We thank everyone in advance for their patience and understanding.
The pipe will pass through farmland between Harrogate and Pannal.
Friends of the Earth’s main concerns appear to focus on two main areas. Its letter to members asks: “Where are the ecological impact surveys for the hedgerow corridors?” and “Where is the detailed woodland impact assessment for Sandy Bank Wood?”.
But Yorkshire Water says that all hedgerow losses will be reinstated using appropriate native species, “ensuring that field boundaries, landscape character and biodiversity value are restored”.
It also says it will use “temporary stone” for the route through the Sandy Bank Wood and will be “re-establishing the historic trackway” afterwards. A spokesperson said:
We are in direct contact with the landowner, and we will be working closely with them on a reinstatement strategy.
The landowner is believed to be North Yorkshire Council.
Three demands
But Friends of the Earth called for more transparency in the process. Yorkshire Water apparently only contacted landowners about the project at the end of January, and Ms Smith said she only heard the news second-hand through Friends of the Earth's letter.
Friends of the Earth concluded that letter by making three demands:
If Yorkshire Water believes this route is unavoidable, the evidence should be published.
If alternatives were considered, they should be shared.
If ecological impacts have been assessed, they should be made publicly accessible before irreversible works proceed.
Major change within a designated landscape demands a higher standard of openness.
Yorkshire Water said residents would be contacted about any impact as the project progresses, and there would also be opportunities for them to ask questions and get regular updates on progress.
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