A major scheme to reduce the number of sewage spills into a Bolton river would mean building a construction worker compound close to nearby houses.

United Utilities have applied for planning permission for a temporary remote compound and car park needed to develop a sewage overflow chamber in Astley Bridge, on land off Heywoods Hollow.

The scheme is needed to lower the number of sewage spills into Astley Brook during stormy and wet weather.

The Bolton News: Compound2

United Utilities said the compound would be 40 metres north of the chamber on a parcel of modified grassland and would be accessed using Greenwood Vale off the A666 Blackburn Road.

There are residential properties immediately south on Beryl Street and east on Sherwood Street, Back Sherwood Street and Norton Street.

In a planning statement, United Utilities, said: “The scheme will result in the provision of additional offline storage on the sewage network, reducing the number of spills into Astley Brook during storm conditions by instead holding excess flows within the tank until sewer volumes reduce and the sewage can pass through the network.

“Due to the small size of the working area available within Heywoods Hollow, there is limited space for site cabins, parking, storage and working room required to safely construct the scheme.

“As a result, a remote location is required to site the welfare and office cabins and construction worker parking to allow for enough space at the site to safely construct the scheme.”

The compound would have welfare cabins and meeting rooms, a temporary generator, fencing and access gates and a car park for eight vehicles.

The currently grassed compound site would be top soil stripped and then surfaced to create a hard standing with crushed stone.

Single storey site cabins would then be placed the land.

The application, added: “The scheme location is significantly constrained due to Astley Brook to the immediate south, residential properties to the immediate north, an allotment to the west and the A666 Blackburn Road to the north.

“As a result, the welfare cabins and parking are required to be off site but as close as possible to the scheme. The proposed location of the compound benefits from being within walking distance from the main construction site, reducing vehicle movements.”

The application said that security guards will work Monday to Thursday from 6pm to 8am and from 5.30pm Friday to 8am on Mondays. United Utilities added that ‘office and welfare accommodation shall be high security with lockable shutters on the windows for when the site is left unattended’.

Bolton Council will decide on the plans at a future date.