Protecting Dorset: The plan with Halstock expansion

We’re planning a multi-million-pound investment that will help to further protect the environment in the rural north-west corner of Dorset.

What’s the plan?

We’re aiming to spend more than £7 million to enhance how wastewater is treated at the village of Halstock, near the border with Somerset.

Equipment at the existing centre will be enhanced and an expansion onto nearby land will help further improve the quality of treated water being safely released back into the environment via the Sutton Bingham Stream.

The upgrade, which would take around 18 months, will ensure the site keeps pace with the regulatory standards for the treatment of sewage.

Project manager Dave Thomas said: “This substantial investment in Halstock will help us to ensure that the way we treat wastewater at our site keeps up with the standards as set out by industry regulators.

“By expanding the capacity of our water recycling centre in the village we can meet these demands and also have a positive impact on the local environment by helping to extend existing habitats such as hedgerows alongside the nearby river.

What happens next?

We’ve submitted a planning application for the expansion of the site to Dorset Council planners for their decision. If successful, work on the expansion will start later this year.

The Halstock application will be available for viewing and comments on the planning section of Dorset Council’s website.

Working with the community

We met with villagers last year to outline the proposals for this expansion and the proposals were then shaped during pre-application consultation with the local authority, including incorporating landscaping to help the expansion blend into the Dorset National Landscape (formerly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

Measures to reduce the impact of the project on the local community have been included, with construction traffic travelling to and from the site via specially constructed temporary access across fields on the Yeovil Road to the north-east of the village, rather than the existing narrow Watery Lane entrance.

We have since written to local customers, parish council representatives and local Dorset Council members ahead of submitting the planning application.

What else are we doing?

Subject to approval from regulators, we are proposing our largest-ever investment in water and sewerage services to improve the health of rivers, reduce pollution and create around 2,000 extra jobs across the region.

Around £3.5 billion of new investment is proposed between 2025 and 2030 – more than double the current five-yearly spend of around £1.5 billion.