A £55 MILLION project to bring a new “state-of-the-art” waste water treatment plant to the North Berwick area has been announced by Scottish Water.
The plant, which would “help protect and enhance the local coastal waters”, would be located in a field two miles south east of the town, at Rhodes Holdings, south of land previously earmarked for a care village.
READ MORE: Plan for care village on edge of North Berwick rejected on appeal
If approved, the facility would be the size of about a football pitch and be heavily screened by trees and shrubs.
Scottish Water says it would feature “cutting-edge treatment technologies”, which would reduce energy usage by half and treat waste water more effectively than traditional methods.
The new works would replace the existing underground works on North Berwick’s Tantallon Terrace, at the eastern end of East Beach, which has come to the end of its serviceable life.
The current site was built into the cliffside under the 18th hole of Glen Golf Course in 1995.
Since then, the population of the area it serves has grown significantly, leading to a need for more layers of treatment, says Scottish Water.
An underground pipe would likely be required to connect the new works to the existing plant, which would be converted into a pumping station.
Fraser Simpson, project lead at Scottish Water said: “The current works was an engineering marvel in its day.
“Unfortunately, by building it underground it has meant that there is no more space for expansion or improvements in treatment, meaning a new works at a new location is required.
“This multi-million pound investment in the town is needed to ensure we can provide the high-quality treatment needed to protect coastal waters and support this growing community.
“We plan to use award-winning Nereda treatment technologies which require a significantly smaller footprint, are quicker to construct and are far more energy efficient when compared to traditional technologies.”
Scottish Water says it researched and investigated a number of locations for the new works, selecting its preferred location based on the distance from the town and associated pumping requirements; constructability; whole life and operational costs and carbon impact; as well as accessibility and availability of the land.
Planning permission is likely to be sought next year and, if approved, construction could begin in 2025 and take about two years to complete.
The works on Tantallon Terrace would be converted into a pumping station to push waste up to the new works; the treated effluent would then be discharged via a long sea outfall.
Paul McLennan, East Lothian MSP, told the Courier he “welcomed” the announcement by Scottish Water.
He said: “It’s great to see the investment by them in recognition of the growing community in the North Berwick area.”
Information drop-in evenings are scheduled for 3.30pm-7pm on Thursday, October 12 and Thursday, November 9, in North Berwick Community Centre.
Scottish Water has produced a video outlining its plans, along with a website. See www.scottishwater.co.uk/NorthBerwick
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