Waterside Fold/Victoria Road appartment building.
From Billy Bond
Saturday 14 December 2024
I understand that sewage from the new appartment building is not connected to the main sewer on Victoria Road or Valley Road. I am informed that a Sewage Treatment Plant/cesspit has been installed under the wooden bin area in the property.
There are many risks involved. The smell from the plant and the spillage of raw human sewage into the River Hebden. The health risk for local residents and children playing on the Little Park.
Enquires to Calderdale Planning suggest no planning application has been made. There are rules on the installation of Sewage treatment plant/ cesspits. They have to be at least 20 metres from any habitat buildings and 20 metres from a watercourse. The plant appears to rest against the river wall and the new built apartments. Any comments, or experts out there to investigate please?
From David Mack
Sunday 15 December 2024
Its all set out on Calderdale planning website.
The latest planning approval for the development (reference 16/00781/FUL) includes the following condition:
"Prior to the first occupation of the development, the drainage infrastructure shall be constructed in accordance with details submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority on 4.12.15 under reference 15/00301/DISC1 and shall be retained as such thereafter."
The documents for the 2015 application include a document "Foul and Surface Water Details" which includes a plan showing a combined drain running from the new building, under the bridge deck over the river, to an existing manhole in Waterside Fold and from there to Victoria Road.
Why does Billy Bond think this is not what has been built?
From Vicky Jones
Monday 16 December 2024
I live near the new build and walk past that site daily. I witnessed the big round container being delivered and the writing on it clearly stated it was a Sewage Treatment container. It was huge. I also watched it being lowered into the ground by the river wall.
How can this be allowed near residential buildings and the Little park playgound area?
Even farmers have to install cesspits at least 100 metres away to avoid smells etc.
There is no evidence of a pipe connected to the main sewage.
From Chris Barnett
Monday 16 December 2024
From what Vicky Jones is saying it looks as if Billy Bond is correct. I'm not an expert on drainage systems, but a quick reading of the regulations seems to say that such an installation should be:
- 10m away from a watercourse.
- 7m away from a dwelling.
- 4m away from a wall or building.
Not sure that this one complies with any of these requirements....
It also seems that any such installation would need planning and Building Regulations approvals.
There is also the issue that certain chemicals can bugger up the efficient working of the sewage treatment (anaerobic microorganisms) - bleach, solvents, some cleaning products - and flushing wet wipes and suchlike can block it up. They also require regular maintenance - not sure who would be responsible in a block of flats.
And then there's the question of where the treated water discharges to.....
It would be helpful if either the developer or someone from Calderdale set our minds at rest over this one - surely they wouldn't allow something so potentially damaging to the environment and people's health to be built? Surely not.....
From Ian Collis
Monday 16 December 2024
I also noticed all of the flats are listed online with an EPC rating of A. Which is extremely rare. It's impossible to get such a high rating with electric only heating and hot water.
From Billy Bond
Monday 6 January 2025
The snow has arrived and the worry is that the river Hebden will rise. On Waterside Fold, a drainage gully has been installed at the bottom of the Smithy Mills apartments parking ramp. Surely, when the river rises the flood water will rise l up through the gully onto Waterside Fold causing flooding of Waterside Fold and Valley Road.