Last month I met with South East Water following the announcement of another hosepipe ban. They told me the ban is not because there isn’t enough water available, but because they do not currently have enough treatment capacity to process water quickly enough during periods of peak demand.
I made it clear that hosepipe bans cannot become the “new normal”, nor should residents be expected to pay ever higher water bills simply because investment in infrastructure has failed to keep pace with demand. South East Water must urgently increase capacity and ensure restrictions are lifted as quickly as possible.
We also discussed the new Local Plan, and I asked South East Water to provide a robust and realistic assessment to the forthcoming Regulation 19 publication, so the genuine constraints facing our area are properly understood by the Planning Inspector.
I will continue to oppose planning applications where the infrastructure is not in place, and I believe no major development should begin until essential services such as water supply have been delivered.
If you want to Halt the Houses, please make sure you sign our petition: https://www.haltthehouses.com/
