The government and Anglian Water have reached an understanding to allow several large-scale housing developments to go ahead
Anglian Water had previously objected to the Water Delivery Taskforce homes due to concerns regarding wastewater treatment capacity.
Now, the East Anglia homes can go ahead after plans and agreements were made between local planning authorities, regulators, and Anglian Water.
New plans mean infrastructure comes first
Developers and planning authorities will now work together at an earlier stage in the development process to allow infrastructure upgrades to be funded and delivered in phases over multiple investment cycles, allowing for more large scale developments (500+ homes) to go ahead.
Conversations are now open to discuss a new water recycling centre for Grantham to connect to an existing pipeline and 20m litre storage reservoir, with enough water for thousands of future homes.
The East of England is one of the driest regions in the country, and so this infrastructure is vital. It is also based on previous success in North Sussex, which has unlocked roughly 21,000 new homes.
Environment secretary Emma Reynolds said: “This is another success story for the government’s Water Delivery Taskforce, which has already unblocked over 55,000 homes with solutions driven by pragmatic thinking and long-term strategy.
“We are unlocking growth and getting Britain building while protecting our precious water supplies. Under this government’s reforms, we are securing a brighter future with new homes and new jobs across the country.”
Mark Thurston, chief executive officer at Anglian Water, added: “Given the concentration and scale of growth in the East of England, we are at the forefront of many major infrastructure projects, including two new reservoirs, our Strategic Interconnecting Pipeline, hundreds of miles of modern pipes, water recycling infrastructure and nature-based solutions, such as wetlands.
“We are working with regulators to chart the path between environmental compliance and supporting growth, and through our work with Defra’s Water Delivery Taskforce, Anglian Water is working with developers and local planning authorities at an earlier stage in the process to enable large scale developments of over 500 homes. This is an encouraging step forward in enabling us to deliver infrastructure upgrades over multiple investment cycles.”
Several government-backed programmes are bringing new homes
In June, Homes England’s latest company, the National Housing Bank, acquired a strategic site in Cambridge East, covering 700 acres and Cambridge City Airport.
Plans for the land include over 10,000 new homes in a new urban quarter for the city. 9,000 jobs will also be supported over 3m2 ft. of commercial space.
Plans for the development intend to work in harmony with the proposed Cambridge East station, improving links between Cambridge and London, Bedford, and Oxford, supporting ambitions for the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor.
Housing secretary Steve Reed concluded: “Cambridge East will become exactly the type of new community this country is crying out for – thousands of new homes to help people get a foot on the housing ladder, backed up with good jobs, modern transport links and beautiful green spaces.
“It is a great example of how this government is committed to ending the cycle of homes coming first and services catching up years later.”
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