07-03-2025
United Utilities gets permission work to prevent ‘catastrophic pollution event'
UNITED Utilities (UU) has been granted retrospective planning permission by Cumberland Council for work on the riverbank of the River Petteril in Carlisle to prevent a potential 'catastrophic pollution event'.
The application is for the river at Adelaide Street and Melbourne Park and it is for riverbank reinstatement works and associated planting within.
According to the decision notice planning permission has been granted subject to planning conditions and the decision was made on Thursday (March 6).
The application was for riverbank reinstatement works and associated planting within the river.
A planning report concludes: 'The development has addressed the critical vulnerability of a section of sewer mains pipe that had become exposed as a result of extreme weather events and river erosion.
'The proposals have not increased flood risk and have not had an adverse impact on biodiversity or trees, with compensatory tree planting taking place.
'The mitigation measures set out in the CEMP helped to ensure that the proposal did not have an unacceptable impact of users of the park or the surrounding residential area during construction works.
'In all aspects, the proposal is considered to be compliant with the relevant polices in the adopted local plan.'
According to the application the site covers an area of 1.65 hectares and it was described as a full retrospective planning application.
And, according to a supporting statement, the applicant is one of the largest water and wastewater companies in England with responsibility for operating and maintaining the water and wastewater network across north-west England.
It states: 'The site is located where the River Petteril passes through Melbourne Park, approximately one kilometre east of the centre of Carlisle within the administrative area of Cumberland Council.'
The report adds that the site encompasses one parcel of land that extends to approximately 1.652 hectares in area centring around an approximately 230m long section of the River Petteril at the southern end of Melbourne Park.
It states: 'It also includes strips of land on both sides of this section of the river with an approximate width of 10m to 30m on the east bank and 10m to 15m on the west bank.
'Prior to the development commencing, both banks comprised mostly woodland, grassland and bramble scrub in addition to lines of trees and other vegetation.'
According to the report the gradual erosion of the west bank of the River Petteril over the past 20 years has resulted in a bank retreat of between 2m and 5m with the river channel preferentially migrating westwards.
It states: 'Consequently, approximately 140m of UU-owned sewer mains pipe within the west bank has gradually become exposed over time.
'Without further intervention, the channel would have continued to erode and migrate westwards and the sewer pipe would have become increasingly vulnerable to breach from impact, weathering and structural stress.
'If this pipe were to breach this would lead to a catastrophic pollution event of the river in the immediate area and further downstream.
'The potential ecological impacts would be more significant due to the site's hydrological connectivity with the River Eden and tributaries SAC and the Upper Solway Flats and Marshes SSSI further downstream.'
According to the report the development was required to make repairs to the sewer mains pipe and reinstate its protective ground cover to remove the risk of damage.
It adds: 'The critical nature of these works, as outlined above, has demanded that work is started in advance of obtaining planning permission and so this application is made retrospectively.'
