The following motions have been received in accordance with Procedure Rule 16:

 

The following motion was received from Councillor Julian Dean supported by the Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat Groups

 

Water Quality, Sewage and Planning?

 

This Council notes:??

 

Residents are deeply concerned about water quality and the impact of regular wastewater discharge, which includes untreated sewage, into our rivers, and the impact this has on wildlife and on human health.??

 

Releasing sewage into rivers is no longer an emergency-only situation occurring as a result of severe storms, but a regular occurrence even in ‘normal’ rainfall, and that we are in a situation of cumulative overload on the sewage and wastewater system.??

 

Whilst there are long term commitments, there are no plans in place which will address the immediate unacceptable situation either locally by Severn Trent Water or Wales Water or by national government.?

 

Both the emerging Local Plan and national planning policy requires a robust approach to both water quality and pollution and a recent legal opinion from the Environmental Law Firm confirms the need to consider cumulative impact. To date, it has not been the practice of council planners to ask water companies to report on cumulative impact i.e., whether or not development may lead to any potential increase in ‘emergency’ discharge into rivers and seas. The Shropshire Water Cycle Study 2020 identified relevant issues.?

 

This Council resolves to:???

 

1.    Recognise this Council’s obligation to protect its rivers and watercourses, including from the cumulative impacts of pollution, in line with the existing and emerging Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.??

 

2.    Recognise that deterioration of water quality occurs due to cumulative impact of multiple sewage discharge events, or "sewage overload".?

 

3.    Ensure that an evidence base is compiled that assesses the cumulative impact of sewage discharge so that this is factored into decisions made in new iterations of the local plan, including the overall level of future development.???

 

4.    Seek to better understand the cumulative impact of wastewater discharge including untreated sewage on our local rivers, wildlife and the health of our residents, with regular overview and scrutiny by Shropshire Council.?

 

5.    Continue to take a lead on addressing this issue, working constructively with other agencies. In particular, we request the relevant Overview and Scrutiny committee to review and challenge Severn Trent Water on its investment plans as laid out in their Drainage and Waste Water Management Plan.?

 

6.    Ask Severn Trent Water, from this date onwards, in its planning consultation responses for major development, to clarify which treatment works will be managing the sewage; whether it has the information available to assess the impact on the number or duration of sewage discharges into local rivers, and if it does have this information to share it (noting that this can only be requested not required), and to consider requiring as a condition for support that Grampian conditions are applied to allow time for upgrades in waste water systems to be completed where appropriate.???

 

7.    Require planning officer reports relating to major development to include specific sections on the impact on watercourses, including the potential for the development to affect sewage outflow into watercourses (i.e. cumulative impact), or to flag if this information is not fully available so that this information (or the lack of it) is clearly and transparently set out.??

 

8.    In pursuit of existing and emerging planning policies, in particular DP19 in the draft Shropshire Local Plan, to make use of Grampian Conditions which can delay completion or occupation of new developments until specified infrastructure - in this case; appropriate upgrades to the sewage management system – are completed.?

 

The motion was seconded by Councillor Kate Halliday

 

By way of amendment Councillor Richard Marshall proposed the following: -

 

This Council resolves to:???

 

1.    Recognise this Council’s obligation to protect its rivers and watercourses, including from the cumulative impacts of pollution, in line with the existing and emerging Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.?

 

2.    Recognise that deterioration of water quality occurs due to cumulative impact of multiple sewage discharge events, or "sewage overload".?

 

3.    Ensure that an evidence base is compiled that assesses the cumulative impact of sewage discharge so that this is factored into decisions made in new iterations of the local plan, including the overall level of future development.

 

4.    Seek?to better understand the cumulative impact of wastewater discharge including untreated sewage on our local rivers,?wildlife?and the health of our residents, with regular overview and scrutiny by Shropshire Council.?

 

5.    Continue to take a lead on addressing this issue, working constructively with other agencies.?In particular, we?request the relevant Overview and Scrutiny committee to review and challenge Severn Trent Water on its investment plans as laid out in their Drainage and?Waste Water?Management Plan.?

 

6.    Ask Severn Trent Water, from this date onwards, in its planning consultation responses for major development, to clarify whether there is a mapped CSO in the sewer network downstream of each development and which treatment works will be managing the sewage. Information should be provided on whether flows produced by the proposed development is likely to increase the number or duration of sewage discharges into local rivers, and if it does have this information to share it (noting that this can only be requested not required), and to consider requiring as a condition for support that Grampian conditions are applied to allow time for upgrades in waste water systems to prevent these discharges to be completed where appropriate.?

 

7.    Require planning officer reports relating to major development to include specific sections on the impact on watercourses, including the potential for the development to affect sewage outflow into watercourses (i.e.?cumulative impact), or to flag if this information is not fully available so that this information (or the lack of it) is clearly and transparently set out.?

 

8.    In pursuit of existing and emerging planning policies,?in particular DP19?in the draft Shropshire Local Plan, to make use of Grampian Conditions which can delay completion or occupation of new developments until specified infrastructure - in this case;?appropriate upgrades?to the sewage management system – are completed.

 

9.    A task and finish group was established to look at water quality, which for a variety of reasons did not progress, therefore it is requested that the Chair of Place Scrutiny re-establish the Task and Finish Group, and on its conclusion take the findings to the relevant scrutiny committee and also to Cabinet.

 

10. In addition, the Scrutiny Chair is requested to write to both the Rt Hon Phillip Dunne MP, as the Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee and The River Severn Partnership requesting their collaboration and participation in the Water Quality Task and Finish Group.

 

Councillor Dean indicated that he would accept the amendment.

 

On taking a vote the motion was supported and it was RESOLVED:

 

That Council resolves to:???

 

1.    Recognise this Council’s obligation to protect its rivers and watercourses, including from the cumulative impacts of pollution, in line with the existing and emerging Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.?

 

2.    Recognise that deterioration of water quality occurs due to cumulative impact of multiple sewage discharge events, or "sewage overload".?

 

3.    Ensure that an evidence base is compiled that assesses the cumulative impact of sewage discharge so that this is factored into decisions made in new iterations of the local plan, including the overall level of future development.

 

4.    Seek?to better understand the cumulative impact of wastewater discharge including untreated sewage on our local rivers,?wildlife?and the health of our residents, with regular overview and scrutiny by Shropshire Council.?

 

5.    Continue to take a lead on addressing this issue, working constructively with other agencies.?In particular, we?request the relevant Overview and Scrutiny committee to review and challenge Severn Trent Water on its investment plans as laid out in their Drainage and?Waste Water?Management Plan.?

 

6.    Ask Severn Trent Water, from this date onwards, in its planning consultation responses for major development, to clarify whether there is a mapped CSO in the sewer network downstream of each development and which treatment works will be managing the sewage. Information should be provided on whether flows produced by the proposed development is likely to increase the number or duration of sewage discharges into local rivers, and if it does have this information to share it (noting that this can only be requested not required), and to consider requiring as a condition for support that Grampian conditions are applied to allow time for upgrades in waste water systems to prevent these discharges to be completed where appropriate.?

 

7.    Require planning officer reports relating to major development to include specific sections on the impact on watercourses, including the potential for the development to affect sewage outflow into watercourses (i.e.?cumulative impact), or to flag if this information is not fully available so that this information (or the lack of it) is clearly and transparently set out.?

 

8.    In pursuit of existing and emerging planning policies,?in particular DP19?in the draft Shropshire Local Plan, to make use of Grampian Conditions which can delay completion or occupation of new developments until specified infrastructure - in this case;?appropriate upgrades?to the sewage management system – are completed.

 

9.    A task and finish group was established to look at water quality, which for a variety of reasons did not progress, therefore it is requested that the Chair of Place Scrutiny re-establish the Task and Finish Group, and on its conclusion take the findings to the relevant scrutiny committee and also to Cabinet.

 

10.In addition, the Scrutiny Chair is requested to write to both the Rt Hon Phillip Dunne MP, as the Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee and The River Severn Partnership requesting their collaboration and participation in the Water Quality Task and Finish Group.

 

The following motion was received from Councillor Andy Boddington and supported by the Liberal Democrat Group 

 

On 9 March, Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced that overall active travel funding for the current parliamentary term is being reduced from £3.8 billion to £3 billion.?? 

The active travel budget allocated in the October 2021 was £710m of which £480m is yet to be spent. The £100m budget over two years announced by Transport Secretary on 9 March represents a spending cut of £380m on the 2021 plans. This calls into question whether the government can achieve the ambitions of its Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2), which aims at promoting cycling and walking across the country. This cut makes it unlikely the government will achieve its target of 50% of all journeys in English towns and cities being walked or cycled by 2030.?? 

The benefits of active travel have been widely recognised:?? 

? 

·         Climate change: Active travel promotes the objectives of the council and the government in meeting the net zero 2050 target.??? 

·         Health: Active travel is a low cost way to improve health, reducing the costs of poor health to the NHS.?? 

·         Value for money: Active travel schemes are more cost effective with cost benefits ratios up to six time great than road schemes?? 

·         Personal costs: Active travel reduces the costs of travel to work and other destinations.??? 

? 

The cut in national funding has implications for the council’s Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP), which is currently out for consultation. Implementation for any schemes that might be agreed under LCWIP is currently unfunded.?? 

Given these priorities, we urge the council to make clear the importance of national funding for active travel and urge it to reverse the cuts announced on 9 March. We also urge it to allocate ringfenced local funding.?? 

?? 

This council agrees:??? 

? 

1.    It confirms its commitment to supporting active travel and achieving a modal shift from cars to walking and cycling.??? 

2.    To request the Leader to follow the lead of the Mayor of the West Midlands and others in writing to ministers to express concerns about the cuts to active travel funding.??? 

3.    To allocate a budget within its own resources for active travel from 2024/25.??? 

On taking a vote the motion was not supported.