Sewer misery continues in Newton Mearns

Newton Mearns Residents Flood Prevention Group (NMRFPG) claims that all is not well with the local sewer infrastructure and the East Renfrewshire Local Development Plan (LDP), and is asking the local authority and Scottish Government ministers to come up with a robust action plan to solve the problem and reduce the flood risk.

In the approved LDP, 1060 new homes, school, nursery and a religious facility will all be built on Maidenhill and Malletsheugh farms. This development will be drained through the same antiquated pre-war combined sewer.

Residents say the sewer flooding worsens every time the council approves new developments, which are then connected to the sewer. Residents are also concerned that no public body is taking responsibility.

Councillors on the Planning Applications Committee narrowly approved plans for development at Maidenhill Farm in June, despite vocal reminders from residents the existing sewer has insufficient capacity.

A Scottish Water spokesman said: “Final detailed design submissions for the application for a proposed new development have been received and reviewed by Scottish Water. A revised drainage impact assessment (DIA) has been carried out for the full Maidenhall Farm site which supports this detailed design.

“This DIA report has highlighted a new solution which changes the connection point to the public system, meaning the flow from the development avoids the Greenlaw Road area.

“This means a solution is achievable to enable the new housing connections to proceed without causing any additional detriment to the existing external flooding issues in the Greenlaw Road area. However, Scottish Water appreciates the concerns the current flooding issues there cause for customers.

“The complex nature of flooding, with many agencies responsible for different aspects of the sewerage and drainage systems, means that a partnership approach is essential for tackling these issues.

“Scottish Water will continue to work with East Renfrewshire Council to investigate the nature of flooding in this area and understand if there are opportunities to jointly tackle the cause of the flooding.”