Agenda item

Council was requested to consider the recommendation of the Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee following consideration of a Notice of Motion which had been referred to it by Council at its meeting held on 19 July 2023.  The recommendations of the Committee were detailed at Section 8 of the report (pages 384 and 385 of the agenda) and consisted of a number of proposed amendments to the original motion.

The original motion that was to be debated is as detailed below, with the amendments as proposed shown (insertions in bold, deletions in strikethrough):

“This Council resolves to:

1.     Recognise it has a role and agrees to define its role to protect the rivers, watercourse and seas in North Yorkshire and precious habitats these support as far as possible from the cumulative impacts of pollution, including in line with its local planning policy and the National Planning Policy Framework.

2.     Be aware that there is evidence of deterioration of water quality due to the cumulative impact of nitrates phosphates, micro-plastics, pharmaceuticals, historical metal mining, waste and minerals activities, rural diffuse pollution and multiple sewage discharge events from diffuse and point source pollution including private and statutory waste treatment systems to monitor, measure and seek to better understand the impact on our local rivers, wildlife and the health of our residents.

3.     Draw on relevant evidence that assesses the cumulative impact of pollution so that this is appropriately factored into the emerging North Yorkshire plan, including the overall site specific level of future development

4.     Ask the Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee to invite senior representatives from Yorkshire Water, the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Dales River Trust, Nidd Action Group, Natural England, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the National Farmers’ Union and other interested groups to attend a meeting to allow for a better understanding of the current levels of pollution and remedial action being taken in this regard.

5.     Ask all relevant water companies Yorkshire Water, from this date onwards, in its planning consultation responses for major developments, to clarify which treatment works will be managing the sewage; confirm that these treatment works have the additional capacity to take waste from agreed developments and whether it has the information available to assess the impact on the number or duration of sewage discharges into local rivers or seas, and if it does have this information to share it (noting that this can only be requested not required).

6.     Request that planning assessments, from now onwards, include in all reports on major developments appropriate coverage of the impact on watercourses, including the potential for the development to affect sewage outflow into watercourses, so that this information is clearly and transparently set out. related to this is reducing the impact of surface water and encouraging the installation of Sustainable Urban Drainage systems (SUDs) on new developments.  whether this could be a standard for North Yorkshire

6.     Ask the Leader and appropriate Executive Members to collaborate with other Local Authorities facing similar water quality problems in order to best understand how we can use our influence to reduce and mitigate the damage done to our watercourses.

7.     This Council plays its part in supporting communities who wish to attain securing bathing water status for the Lido on the River Nidd in Knaresborough and any other applications in North Yorkshire

8.     Planning Policy should give specific weight and consideration to the potential impacts on watercourses and river waterbodies both in terms of potential contamination and health.

9.     To ask the Leader of the Council, if the motion is carried, to write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to request that the policy issues raised in the Notice of Motion be included as part of the National Planning Policy Framework.

This motion has been endorsed by the: Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust; River Ure Conservation Trust.”

Proposer – Councillor Arnold Warneken

Seconder – Councillor Mike Schofield

The motion was moved by Councillor Arnold Warneken and seconded by Councillor Mike Schofield who both accepted the amendments of the Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee as set out above.

The motion was then debated and on a vote being taken it was approved unanimously.

Resolved -

This Council resolves to:

1.     Recognise it has a role and agrees to define its role to protect the rivers, watercourse and seas in North Yorkshire and precious habitats these support as far as possible from the cumulative impacts of pollution, including in line with its local planning policy and the National Planning Policy Framework.

2.     Be aware that there is evidence of deterioration of water quality due to the cumulative impact of nitrates phosphates, micro-plastics, pharmaceuticals, historical metal mining, waste and minerals activities, rural diffuse pollution and multiple sewage discharge events from diffuse and point source pollution including private and statutory waste treatment systems to monitor, measure and seek to better understand the impact on our local rivers, wildlife and the health of our residents.

3.     Draw on relevant evidence that assesses the cumulative impact of pollution so that this is appropriately factored into the emerging North Yorkshire plan, including the overall site specific level of future development

4.     Ask the Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee to invite senior representatives from Yorkshire Water, the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Dales River Trust, Nidd Action Group, Natural England, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the National Farmers’ Union and other interested groups to attend a meeting to allow for a better understanding of the current levels of pollution and remedial action being taken in this regard.

5.     Ask all relevant water companies Yorkshire Water, from this date onwards, in its planning consultation responses for major developments, to clarify which treatment works will be managing the sewage; confirm that these treatment works have the additional capacity to take waste from agreed developments and whether it has the information available to assess the impact on the number or duration of sewage discharges into local rivers or seas, and if it does have this information to share it (noting that this can only be requested not required).

6.     Request that planning assessments, from now onwards, include in all reports on major developments appropriate coverage of the impact on watercourses, including the potential for the development to affect sewage outflow into watercourses, so that this information is clearly and transparently set out. related to this is reducing the impact of surface water and encouraging the installation of Sustainable Urban Drainage systems (SUDs) on new developments.  whether this could be a standard for North Yorkshire

6. Ask the Leader and appropriate Executive Members to collaborate with other Local Authorities facing similar water quality problems in order to best understand how we can use our influence to reduce and mitigate the damage done to our watercourses.

7. This Council plays its part in supporting communities who wish to attain securing bathing water status for the Lido on the River Nidd in Knaresborough and any other applications in North Yorkshire

8. Planning Policy should give specific weight and consideration to the potential impacts on watercourses and river waterbodies both in terms of potential contamination and health.

9. To ask the Leader of the Council, if the motion is carried, to write to the Secretary of State for  Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to request that the policy issues raised in the Notice of Motion be included as part of the National Planning Policy Framework.

This motion has been endorsed by the: Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust; Lower Ure Conservation Trust; Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

The motion be reviewed by the Transport, Economy, Environment and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee in six months.”