Residents fear flooding ‘tidal waves’ and sewage issues amid 550-home plan

‘What’s washing across my fields isn’t just surface water — it’s sewage’The local farmer said ‘every time we get heavy rain, the system fails and the pollution spreads further'(Image: LDRS)

Residents fear flooding “tidal waves” and sewage could be on their doorstep if a major 550-home development is given the go ahead.

Dozens of objections have been raised over IM Land’s plan for the hundreds of homes after it submitted a screening application for land at Frolesworth Road in Broughton Astley to Harborough District Council (HDC) last month.

Initial plans asked HDC whether the scheme would need an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for an outline planning application – which seeks approval for the application in principle. A total of 33 objections were raised against these initial plans for an EIA to assess the effects of the proposal on the environment.

Image of the ‘sewage cover blown off’ in the flood water(Image: LDRS)

The majority of objections list flooding and traffic issues as their major concern with the plan. If the proposals do go forward, alongside the 550 homes, a potential primary school expansion and new community facility are also touted.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), a local farmer adjacent to the Broughton Treatment Works, said: “I’ve farmed this land for years and I’ve never seen pollution like this until the treatment works started overflowing. What’s washing across my fields isn’t just surface water — it’s sewage.

“Every time we get heavy rain, the system fails and the pollution spreads further. I’m speaking out anonymously because I’m worried about the consequences, but people need to know what’s happening here. The plant clearly can’t cope with the existing load, yet more housing is being approved with no upgrade in sight.”

Local resident John Durance told the LDRS: “The village is operating on an ageing sewage system that hasn’t been upgraded for a very long time. […] Locally, the infrastructure is in a poor state, drains are blocked, culverts are obstructed, and watercourses are heavily silted.”

A third said: “I cannot believe that this site is even being considered due to flooding occurring here yearly.”

Most of the buildings that make up Glebe Farm are included in the plans(Image: LDRS)

The resident also referenced closures from January this year when the proposed development site was “closed from every angle”, adding that cars were “still trying to pass and causing tidal waves into homes”.

They added: “Building here would make this worse as concrete and brick don’t absorb water. No proper drainage , just soak aways, larger pipes were put in last year which didn’t make any difference.

“I watched this year as the rain water coming down from the fields was passing down one drain only to come back up the next one.”

Another said: “The main development vehicle entrance on Frolesworth Road will divert the storm water running off the site into Mill Farm which will ultimately flood Old Rectory Close and then Frolesworth Road. Without an engineered site layout and drainage scheme this could be disastrous for the Primethorpe area.”

Severn Trent, who are not a statutory consultee in the planning process, said it understood the distress flooding can cause, but said recent issues in Broughton Astley were “mainly due to heavy rain causing surface flooding”.

It said that water from fields and streams in the area had then entered the sewer network.

Concerns were not just limited to flooding, with many voicing fears about highways and traffic levels in the area.

One resident said: “Building here would create a major traffic problem, not only for Broughton Astley, but for all surrounding small villages which would not cope with the amount of vehicles using them. People wanting to go to Lutterworth would have to go through Frolesworth , Leire, Dunton Bassett, which are very narrow lanes.

“To get to the A5 they would also pass through Frolesworth and the village would not be able to cope with the amount of traffic .The crossroads at the Bull Head already has many accidents there and I am surprised that no vehicles have smashed into Teapots Nursery, injuring or killing children or staff there, more traffic would only make this problem worse.

“When you get to the centre of the village there is already a massive problem with the amount of traffic passing through to the shops or petrol station, with buses coming this way as well and all the parked cars one day there is going to be a major accident.”

Following the consultation phase HDC has given a “positive screening opinion” meaning that the applicant will have to put together an environmental statement before an application can be made for the development.

In its decision notice, the council said: “Taking into account the development’s type, location, known design parameters and likely cumulative impacts, it is anticipated that it could result in significant environmental effects for the purposes of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations. […] In summary these are Highways, Flooding/Flood Risk and Odour.”

A Severn Trent spokesperson told the LDRS: “We always urge customers to report sewer flooding as soon as it happens so we can respond quickly and get teams on site to help. After any storm, we check our network to make sure it’s working properly and clear of any blockages, and we’ve found no issues.

“We’ve recently met the community with the local council who are responsible for surface flooding to explain this, as we’re committed to coming together to collaborate to reduce flood risk.”