Developers who want to build a small group of houses with cesspits on an county field have appealed Herefordshire Council’s decision to reject the proposals.
Dozens of villagers had previously described the plan to build three houses on land at Newcastle Farm as ‘swapping a beautiful countryside view for a repository of human waste’.
And council planners rejected the scheme after more than 40 people signed a petition against it and the parish council said the development would be unsustainable and detrimental to the character, environment, drainage, local roads of the area.
Speaking at the planning committee on May 15, local ward councillor David Harlow argued the scheme should be rejected.
Sophie Murphy, an objector, asked the committee to imagine a tanker in their cul-de-sac emptying cesspits every couple of weeks.
She said: “Imagine having to become a prisoner in your own home while these emptying operations are taking place because the smell is so overpowering.
“Imagine young mothers living on the new development having to keep their children in doors to protect them from the tankers and to safeguard their developing lungs from the harmful effects of diesel fumes.
“Imagine the pollution when cesspit levels overflow.”
Councillor Bruce Baker proposed refusing permission for the proposals as he said the use of cesspits would be like ‘using 19th century technology in the 21st century’ and his move was unanimously rejected.
But the applicants appealed this decision and an inspector will take written representations and conduct a site visit.
Consultants working on behalf of the applicant said the layout of the proposed scheme had been carefully considered so as to respond positively to its context, and in particular the existing historic dwellings which ‘bookend’ the site at the west and south boundaries.
Paul Sloan, infrastructure engineer, said: “All foul effluent will be discharged via gravity-fed pipework to a sealed cesspit tank, one for each proposed dwelling.
“The cesspit tanks have been situated in locations that can be easily accessed in future by tankers when emptying.”
Any views on the proposals must be submitted to Richard Mitchell – 3C, The Planning Inspectorate, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Bristol, BSl 6PN, by November 12.
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