Slapton MP backs fight against water treatment infrastructure project village residents’ label as ‘ugly, intrusive and unnecessary’

The proposal plans to pump 115 million litres of water from the outskirts of Birmingham via the canal network to the proposed facility which is expected to span 10 hectares -land equivalent to 16 football pitches, in Buckinghamshire.

The multi-million-pound project looks to address water shortages in the South East, yet fails to recognise that Affinity Water are currently losing 153 million litres of water a day via leakage - significantly more than the amount that will be transferred via this proposed route.

If the Slapton site is chosen, the construction of a huge facility in a rural environment will cause untold disruption to local roads, which are unfit for construction traffic, require the strengthening of local canal bridges and locks and impact the day-to-day lives of local residents in Slapton and the surrounding villages enormously. Furthermore, there is a major pipeline that requires re-routing at huge expense.

While a proposed site south of Tiddenfoot, Leighton Buzzard has been ruled out due to green belt concerns and Outdoor and Leisure land designation by Bedfordshire County Council, Affinity Water have chosen the rural village of Slapton as a favoured site. The GUCT proposal states that they sought to avoid buildings and settlements when choosing sites yet the Slapton site is immediately adjacent to the village. The second favoured site near Bletchley is far more suitable owing to the lack of residential development close by and the proximity of the A4146 for construction traffic.

Laura Kyrke-Smith, MP for Slapton, has visited the proposed site and said:

“I understand the deep concern in Slapton about the potential siting of the Grand Union Canal Transfer Scheme’s water treatment works and storage facility so close to the village. I've been engaging with residents, the Parish Council and the Slapton Action Group and I’ve been pushing for consideration of alternative more suitable sites.

It's vital that any decision on the preferred site is based on robust evidence, transparent assessment, and genuine engagement with those most affected. Slapton residents have made their views and local knowledge clear, and I will continue to press for their voices to be heard and for all reasonable alternatives to be explored.”

Alec Packham, spokesperson on behalf of SAG and Slapton Parish Council, said:

“There are numerous reasons why Slapton residents, represented by SAG and supported by our local MP, are strongly opposed to the construction of this facility. There are local, regional and national policies that have been carefully designed to ensure that villages such as Slapton are protected. This proposal would completely go against these and ignores our concerns about safe access, local disruption and fails to address the fundamental problems the company is facing.

“Spending their cash fixing the leaks that lead to the wastage of more than 150 million litres of water per day would be a good place to start, as opposed to planting an ugly, intrusive and unnecessary facility in the middle of a rural village.”

Issued by Slapton Action Group

In Autumn 2024, two water companies (Affinity Water and Severn Trent), together with their development partner the Canals & River Trust revealed plans for a substantial project to pump treated waste water from the outskirts of Birmingham to a reservoir near Luton – known as the ‘Grand Union Canal Transfer’ project (“GUCT”).

On behalf of the residents in and around the rural villages of Slapton, Horton and Grove, the local Parish Council (“SPC”) and appointed Slapton Action Group (“SAG”) are vehemently opposed to the proposal in the Slapton area.