FOI release

Sewage and water infrastructure

This request was refused in full, so we didn't provide the information the requester asked for. This may include information where we can neither confirm nor deny that we hold it.

Case reference EIR2026/02341

Received 29 September 2026

Published 26 October 2026

Request

I am writing to you to ask for information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 relating to the pressures being placed upon sewage and water infrastructure in England and Wales from new development in your area.

Please can you provide a list of:

a) any new housing developments in your authority area, where a sewerage undertaker and/or water company has objected to connection of the development to the foul sewer in the planning process, from the last three years (May 2023 - May 2026)

b) for each site, please provide the following information:

* i) the location of the site (address, easting/northing, or National Grid Reference)

* ii) the number of dwellings being proposed

* ii) planning application reference

* iv) links to documents or copies of the documents containing the details of the objection e.g. planning committee report

* v) if a planning condition requiring a strategic foul water strategy to be submitted to the local Planning Authority has been applied (Yes/No)

Please can the information be provided as an excel format.

I am seeking recorded information held by the authority. While individual planning files may be available on a public planning portal, locating and compiling all relevant cases would require a manual search across potentially thousands of records.

Therefore, section 21 (information reasonably accessible by other means) would not provide equivalent access to the information requested if the authority holds records, reports, databases, registers or searches capable of identifying such cases.

Under Section 16 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, public authorities have a duty to provide advice and assistance. If any part of this request is unclear or too broad, I would be grateful if you could advise how it might be refined so that the information can be provided.

Response

I am writing to you to ask for information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 relating to the pressures being placed upon sewage and water infrastructure in England and Wales from new development in your area.

Please can you provide a list of:

 a) any new housing developments in your authority area, where a sewerage undertaker and/or water company has objected to connection of the development to the foul sewer in the planning process, from the last three years (May 2023 - May 2026)

b) for each site, please provide the following information:

     i) the location of the site (address, easting/northing, or National Grid Reference)

     ii) the number of dwellings being proposed

     ii) planning application reference

     iv) links to documents or copies of the documents containing the details of the objection e.g. planning committee report

  *   v) if a planning condition requiring a strategic foul water strategy to be submitted to the local Planning Authority has been applied (Yes/No)

Please can the information be provided as an excel format.

I am seeking recorded information held by the authority. While individual planning files may be available on a public planning portal, locating and compiling all relevant cases would require a manual search across potentially thousands of records.

Therefore, section 21 (information reasonably accessible by other means) would not provide equivalent access to the information requested if the authority holds records, reports, databases, registers or searches capable of identifying such cases.

Under Section 16 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, public authorities have a duty to provide advice and assistance. If any part of this request is unclear or too broad, I would be grateful if you could advise how it might be refined so that the information can be provided.

 

This information is publicly available and published on the Herefordshire Council Website and can be viewed via the following link:

Planning search - Herefordshire Council

As such we consider this information to be excepted under Regulation 6 of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 because this is available to you via other means.

Please note that the service area is unable to generate a report containing this information. Therefore, they would need to obtain the information using the method outlined above.

Documents

There are no documents for this release.

This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.

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