Peak District's 18th century bridge on proposed route for 16-mile underground water pipeline
Plans have been unveiled for a 16-mile underground pipeline to transport water from the Peak District along a rural route which includes an 18th century bridge.
Severn Trent wants to install the 26.4km pipeline between Hathersage and Renishaw, together with a booster station at Hathersage and a new service reservoir at Owler Bar.
The pipeline would cover a distance of 12.7km in the Peak District and involve installing the pipeline through the existing carriageway of Burbage Bridge on Hathersage Road. Burbage Bridge carries the road across Burbage Brook between Higger Tor and the Fox House Inn area.
The proposed route extends south-east from Hathersage through the upland landscape towards Owler Bar. Continuing eastwards through open countryside in North East Derbyshire, the underground pipeline would pass in proximity to settlements including Holmesfield, Dronfield, Coal Aston and Eckington, before progressing to the south of Renishaw within Chesterfield borough. No existing buildings will be directly affected by the scheme.
An Environmental Impact Assessment screening opinion request, prepared by Fisher German on behalf of Severn Trent, states that the scheme is required to address a forecast deficit in water supply arising from reductions in groundwater abstraction in Nottinghamshire. Once operational, it will facilitate the transfer of up to 10 megalitres (equal to 10 million litres) per day to the Barlborough area and up to 25 megalitres (25 million litres) daily to Sunnyside in Nottinghamshire.
The report states: “This Screening Opinion has considered the characteristics of the proposed development, its location, and the nature of potential impacts. The assessment demonstrates that the development is not likely to give rise to significant environmental effects, for the following key reasons:
*The development comprises a well-established form of infrastructure, with no unusual or high risk activities;
*The majority of the works are temporary, localised and reversible, reflecting the linear and progressive construction methodology;
*Senstive environmental receptors, including ecological sites, watercourses and heritage assets, have been avoided where practicable and are subject to embedded mitigation measures;
*Potential impacts are predictable, well understood and capable of effective control through established design and construction practices; *Permanent effects are limited to small-scale, operational above-ground infrastructure assets which have been designed to integrate with their surroundings.
"In reaching this conclusion, it is recognised that whilst the proposed development will give rise to certain limited environmental effects, these are not of a nature, scale or duration that would constitute likely significant effects within the meaning of the EIA Regulations. Effects are either avoided through design, reduced through embedded mitigation, or are temporary and reversible in nature. There are no realistic opportunities for effects of a scale, duration or complexity that would trigger the requirement for Environmental Impact Assessment.
"Accordingly, it is concluded that the proposed Hathersage to Renishaw pipeline, together with the associated booster station and service reservoir, does not constitute EIA development and does not require the preparation of an Environmental Statement.
“On this basis, it is respectfully requested that the Peak District National Park Authority, North East Derbyshire District Council, and Chesterfield Borough Council adopt Screening Opinions confirming that the proposed development is not likely to result in significant environmental effects.”
Full details of the EIA screening opinion request are published on Chesterfield Borough Council’s planning portal.