Plans lodged for new water treatment building amid ‘increasing demand’ for water

The applicant said the project is ‘exceptionally important from a drinking water resources perspective’

Plans to construct a new building at a “critical facility” aimed at meeting “ever increasing demands” for water supply has been lodged. Cambridge Water Company (CWC) has sought permission from South Cambridgeshire District Council to construct a new water treatment building at Kingston Pumping Station in Great Eversden.

If permission is sought, CWC will construct a new water treatment building alongside modifications to access onto Kingston Road – where the building is proposed to be built.

A planning document reads: “Kingston Pumping Station is a critical facility owned by CWC. This proposal is exceptionally important from a drinking water resources perspective.

“The proposed new treatment plant will enable a disused borehole to be brought back into use in order to add much needed water to the network to meet ever increasing demands on supply.”

A borehole is a narrow shaft drilled into the ground for many purposes, including the extraction of water. This project is one of four locations where CWC are re-introducing environmentally sustainable water sources that have been unused for a period to provide “additional reliable and consistent supply of water to their customers”, a planning document says.

The building will house the treatment plant required to treat the water extracted from the borehole to bring it to drinking water standards for customers. It has been designed with a total capacity of about 1283 cubic metres.

Planning documents say the projects form a core element of CWC’s Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) which sets out how it will deliver “high-quality, secure and reliable water supply over the next 25 years”.

The document adds: “This is particularly important within the Cambridge Water area, where supporting flows in sensitive chalk streams is a key priority. It is essential to upgrade Kingston Pumping Station to ensure a secure and reliable water supply for customers, whilst supporting long-term growth aspirations within the region. There is a clear need to reopen and modernise Kingston water pumping station. The site is long established and the existing borehole is required to come back into service.”