Hundreds of metres of hedgerow to be removed across Shropshire for new 11km water pipeline project
Severn Trent Water has submitted plans to remove hundreds of metres of hedgerow across Shropshire to allow for the construction of a new 11km water pipeline aimed at tackling future water shortages.
Shropshire Council is considering plans from Severn Trent to remove around 460 metres of hedgrow to facilitate the installation of new underground pipes.
The 11km pipeline would run from Shelton Water Treatment Works in Shrewsbury to Sherwood Distribution Service Reservoir at Preston Brockhurst.
The water company said the project is part of a scheme for the Wem and Whitchurch areas, which has been developed to address "water resource shortages and network resilience".
Documentation suggests that the area has a daily supply shortfall of around 4 million litres per day due to predicted demand as a result of population growth and climate change.
Severn Trent said that the proposed rural route of the pipeline has been designed to avoid existing settlements to reduce potential disruption.
As part of the plan, the water company has said that hundreds of metres of hedgerow will need to be removed to facilitate access for installation.
All of the removed hedgerows, which are said to have been planted more than 30 years ago, would be replanted "like for like" once the works were complete.
The scheme includes 210 metres of hedgerow northwest of Hadnall, 90 metres on land around Grinshill and 160 metres on land near Albrighton, north of Shrewsbury.
A letter to the council from Fisher German, who submitted the application on behalf of Severn Trent, said: "The proposed hedgerow removals are specifically required to accommodate temporary construction access points/haul roads along the pipeline route and the installation of the pipe utilising opencut methodologies.
"If the hedgerows were not removed to facilitate construction, there would be an increased impact to the affected landowners due to longer access routes to each individual field, rather than driving along haul road, which will follow the pipeline route, as well as extended working areas to facilitate trenchless crossings at each hedgerow.
"The installation of this pipeline is a critical infrastructure upgrade and to ensure Severn Trent meet the regulatory date for the pipeline to be operational, it is critical the hedgerow is removed as soon as possible."
Three planning applications relating to the work are available to view online on Shropshire Council's planning portal (reference numbers 25/04755/HRM, 25/04756/HRM and 25/04757/HRM).
- You can find out more about planning applications and planned roadworks where you live by visiting publicnoticeportal.uk
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