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Anglian Water, the water supplier in the East of England, has hit back at claims its newly planted trees in Cambridge will die.
The water company has announced that it plans to plant thousands of trees at the site of its proposed new sewage works. However, the proposal for the Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant has come under heavy criticism from some sectors. Doubters have pointed to the previous incident at the A14 project, where 94% of trees planted died within months. The opposition has expressed a fear that any trees at the new sewage site will suffer a similar fate. However, Anglian Water has quickly acted to squash those concerns.
While the A14 project equated to the death of tens of thousands of trees, the water company says that a similar situation can be avoided. As per Cambridgeshire Live, Andrew Prior said: “Here there is a soil management plan and the ability to water during the establishment period, and this embankment has a broad high top, it is not the same as a highway embankment. “We believe the trees will establish and establish well.”
Anglian Water’s presence isn’t only felt in Cambridgeshire. The company serves Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire and Suffolk too. While the previous A14 problems can only be described as disastrous,t he water company has had many successes too. Crucially, it has highlighted an understanding of the impact that drier seasons and the soil management needs on the new sewage site.
The firm had already made its Development Consent Order (DCO) application for permission to build the new sewage works. Its intention is to replace the current site north of Cambridge, which in turn would be used to develop homes for 8,000 people. The main concerns raised by the DCO are related to sustainability. It points to the potential need for regular water maintenance to give trees any hope of survival.
The water company’s response highlighted that the soil on the embankment will be checked. It also confidently stated that only the first five years should require significant effort. Furthermore, there was confirmation that it would look to replace any trees that do die in the process.
Anglian Water has one of the largest service areas in the UK and has operated since 1989, with its HQ stationed in Huntingdon. It takes over every adoptable pumping station installed by developers in the region. In total, it supplies 4.3 million people with clean water while also collecting wastewater from over 6 million.
Should the proposed sewage works facility go ahead, it will enable Anglian Water to provide an even better service. By planting thousands of trees and allowing for new homes to be built on its predecessor, it could signal a major step for the company. And potentially the town. However, some hurdles still remain before work can start on the site.
Elsewhere in Cambridge, the town’s main football club has announced that Rocket Ltd is its new signage sponsor. The partnership has initially been signed for one year.
