Water giant's pledge on link road

SEVERN Trent say it will finally build a link road for its Stoke-on-Trent sewage works - but only if two parcels of land are included in the city’s new local plan.

- Sentinel Reporter

Campaigners have long been calling for the company to build a road linking Strongford Sewage Works, near Barlaston, to the A34.

At the moment, dozens of lorries carrying effluent to Strongford pass by people's homes on local roads every day. Severn Trent says it will only be able to fund the link road if it is able to sell off two pieces of land for development - 42 acres to the north of the sewage works and a 26-acre site at Newstead.

The company wants the sites allocated for employment use in Stoke-on-Trent City Council's forthcoming local plan, which will guide development in the Potteries up to 2040. It has spent about £1 million acquiring land needed for the link road but says it will have to shelve the proposals if the two sites are not included in the plan.

A draft local plan is due to be published this year. Severn Trent gave the update in response to a motion calling for the company to reveal its investment plans for Stoke-on-Trent for the next five years.