Plans for new homes in Docking, near Hunstanton, look set to get the nod after Anglian Water (AW) dropped its objection to the scheme.

West Norfolk councillors deferred a decision on the proposals for five new bungalows off Sandy Lane in early March after the water firm said its sewage treatment plant at Heacham was over capacity.

But they have now been recommended to approve the scheme after AW said its discharge figures had been skewed by extreme weather, and average flows over the longer term showed it could cope after all.

The entrance to the site of the development in Docking (Image: Google)

While consisting of just a handful of new properties, the development off Sandy Lane could prove to be a watershed project.

West Norfolk councillor for Heacham, Terry Parish, said: "The change in heart by Anglian Water over this particular application appears to be smoke and mirrors and a massaging of data to achieve a requested outcome."

He said the flow through the Heacham water recycling centre exceeded permitted volumes "too frequently".

"This is why AW maintained that there is a lack of capacity at the works to accommodate new developments coming forward," he said.

Heacham councillor Terry Parish (Image: West Norfolk council)

"They now say that if they effectively rub out extreme year on year variations by looking at a three-year average, the plant suddenly has capacity.

"So, in order to guarantee that no pollution enters the Wash, we have to rely on average rainfall and not too much extra load."

He added the treatment works needed to be able to cope with the worst scenario to avoid pollution incidents and heavy rainfall was becoming more common.

WHY IT OBJECTED IN THE FIRST PLACE

AW said while its Heacham plant was permitted to discharge 4,500 cubic metres of water a day, the latest figures showed it was already releasing 4,771 cubic metres daily into the sea via a tributary of the Heacham River.

The firm added any additional flow would be "an unacceptable risk to the environment".

Anglian Water's treatment works at Heacham (Image: Chris Bishop)

AW warned last summer it would object to planning applications in areas where its system is at risk of being overwhelmed.

It said it may also ask for conditions to be placed on some planning applications, stating new properties cannot be occupied until it has carried out improvements.

AW said it had now changed its position for areas served by its Heacham plant, from objecting to approving of new development.

"This is part of a wider update to our capacity assessments regionwide, which we refresh on an annual basis," a spokesman said.

"We’ve recently changed our methodology for assessing water recycling centre capacity, which we recalculate every financial year.

The outfall from Anglian Water's treatment plant at Heacham (Image: Chris Bishop)

"This new methodology will come into effect in our responses from April 1 onwards."

They added treatment plants' capacity is assessed from dry weather flow data, which represents how much waste water the site is permitted to receive and treat during dry weather conditions.

Planning responses evaluate this figure and whether proposed developments will breach the site’s existing capacity.

The firm will now calculate capacity based on an average dry weather flow figure over three years, plus any growth expected to be connected.

It said this would smooth out volatility caused by unusually dry or wet years, offering a more accurate long-term assessment of capacity at its sites.

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN ELSEWHERE?

Heacham isn't the only area where AW has objected to development on the basis its infrastructure can't cope with extra waste.

Treated water from the Heacham plant discharges into the sea via the river outfall (Image: Chris Bishop)

Similar warnings have been issued for its plants at Whitlingham, Burnham Market and Middleton.

The spokesman added: "We’ve already been in touch with the local planning authorities (LPAs) in our region to update them about our new approach.

"Additionally, we have committed to providing a position statement for all water recycling centres where an objection will be raised, to assist with decision making.

"These statements are currently being prepared and will be sent to the relevant LPAs as soon as possible."

But councils are in any case not legally obliged to take water companies' comments into account when deciding planning applications, because they are not so-called statutory consultees.

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