Ross-on-Wye resident, Caroline Hopkins, raised a concern at the Annual Review Meeting on Monday, April 28th, regarding the capacity of sewage works down Cleeve Lane, Ross-on-Wye.

This followed discussions of housing developments in Ross, and the ‘strain on local amenities’, as one resident described it.Cleeve Field has been included in the Neighbourhood Development Plan, with an allocation of 16-18 houses.

Melvin Reynolds, Chair of the Neighbourhood Development Plan, said: All proposed developments have been surveyed by Welsh Water and they are all at sufficient capacity, this includes all of the ones in the Neighbourhood Development Plan.

“They have a policy of saying there’s not enough capacity, because it helps to concentrate the minds of developers on how they might deal with affluent on site. Some lend themselves to reed bed systems, for example, but it’s about trying to put the onus back onto the developers.”

In response to this, Caroline asked why there is the need for a lorry to Lea every day.

Melvin explained that this is not to do with capacity levels, but because many local drainage systems have to be frequently drained because they are not on main drainage, and therefore often have to go in a tanker to a sewage processing plant.