Homes approved despite flood and sewage concerns

Plans for 30 homes in a Cotswold village have been approved despite concerns about flooding and sewage.

Eagle One Homes has been granted outline permission by Cotswold District Council for the development north of Folly View, in Broadway Road, Willersey.

Councillor Tom Stowe, one of hundreds who opposed the plans, said existing homes experienced "backing up in the network" which left residents "unable to use their toilets for up to 48 hours at a time".

Ed Leeson, representing Eagle One Homes, said the developer recognised the concerns and added that the proposals were subject to detailed consideration with Severn Trent Water and Gloucestershire County Council, the lead flood authority.

The plans include homes with parking, public open space and a sustainable drainage system, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Leeson said a robust drainage strategy would be delivered without increasing flood risk elsewhere.

Stowe said sewage in the village had been an issue for 20 years, a problem he had witnessed first hand.

"I've been stood on Colin Lane in periods of rainfall and a main highway manhole cover weighing in the region of 20-25kg [44-55lbs] has been blown clear by pressure in the system 25m [82ft] down the road," he said.

Stowe said flood water was often "infused with raw sewage a foot [0.3m] deep in the road". He said it flowed into other watercourses and residents' gardens have been "left contaminated with raw sewage and toilet waste".

"The sewage network is demonstrably unfit for purpose, even for existing homes, let alone new developments," he added.

The village has a population of about 900 people spread among 495 homes.

Willersey Parish councillor Jane Rintoul said the village has had a significant growth of houses over the past decade, but its infrastructure had not expanded.

Rintoul said the village shop closed in 2020 and the local school was "full in some key age groups with no physical capacity to expand the existing building".

She also said most residents were registered with GPs in Worcestershire. She said with hourly buses only running at peak times, new homes would increase private car dependency.

Leeson said the development, which was reduced from 50 homes to 30, was modest and would be a "contained extension to the village".

Councillors followed the officer's recommendation to approve the scheme subject to no objection from Gloucestershire County Council.

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