The Environment Agency has launched a new consultation seeking views on a request from South West Water for permission to process more sewage waste in St Mabyn, Cornwall.
Photo: Inside of a rotating biological contactor
South West Water has applied for an environmental permit which will allow the water company to upgrade the capacity of its Wadebridge Road wastewater treatment works. Extra volume of 12m3 per day – the same capacity as a large van - is requested so that the site can process sewage from the Chapelfields housing development. The waste is currently being taken away by tanker for treatment elsewhere.
Launching the consultation, the Environment Agency (EA) says it is ‘minded to’ accept the permit request as the initial application was consulted on between 20 August and 17 September 2025. A second consultation period is now open - to reflect high public interest, this will be run for an extended period and close at 11.59pm on 26 January 2026. During the consultation interested stakeholders can comment on the draft decision document, which outlines the Agency’s thinking and views on comments from the previous consultation, and the draft permit.
The upgrade is purely to accommodate domestic sewage from the Chapelfields estate. It will only accept domestic sewage, not surface water or storm overflow. It will also not have the capacity to accept flows from any future significant housing developments. The Agency said South West Water will be responsible for ensuring that it directs future potential housing developers to alternative options for sewage treatment.
Treated effluent, in line with the limits in the permit, will continue to be discharged into a tributary of the River Allen. The treated effluent would be subject to various limits set out by the permit to ensure that it does not pollute the stream and cause harm to the wildlife living within it.
According to the EA, if there are no technical reasons to refuse the permit application, the Agency is bound by the Regulator’s Code to issue the permit. This is a government policy to ensure regulators do not obstruct economic development.
Anyone wishing to comment on the application, can do so by:
- using the online consultation portal, Citizen Space
- emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
- writing to Environment Agency Permitting and Support Centre, Land Team, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway Avenue, Sheffield, S9 4WF
Click here to access the consultation on the Citizen Space portal
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
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