Major work to upgrade drinking water from United Utilities’s Oswestry base has been approved.

The proposal was for buildings and kiosks to be constructed to house systems crucial to the project, as well as all the relevant highway works and landscaping at the site in Broomhall Lane, Oswestry.

United Utilities originally applied for the work - which will benefit customers in the North West region - in January, this year, while a design and access statement was submitted in June.

And a decision to approve the work was made last week by Shropshire Council planning officer John Shaw, who said the application was appropriate.

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He said: “The development is required as part of a wider upgrading and improvement scheme for the Oswestry WTW (water treatment works) site which is acceptable in principle against national and Local Plan policies.

“The siting of the buildings would be considered appropriate in relation to the onsite requirements and the character of the wider area.

“No undue impacts on highway safety, residential amenity, local ecology, trees or drainage conditions would occur.

“The proposal complies with the Local Development Plan and is therefore recommended that permission be granted subject to conditions.”

Two major conditions for the work are that construction will not start until a scheme of surface and foul water drainage and highway work on Back Racecourse Lane is carried out.

According to the design and access statement, the development will take within the current United Utilities site.

The statement added that a number of currently sited buildings would need to be demolished to make for the new houses and kiosk.

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It also stated that access for the traffic for the project would be in Broomhall Lane, but will be taken via Trefonen Road and Back Racecourse Lane, with relevant upgrades on the roads to support them.

While Oswestry Town Council said it was neutral to the development, it did request that traffic be taken to the site this way.

The work is to reduce the level of manganese and risk of discoloured water affecting customers of the Oswestry Water Treatment Works, mainly in Cheshire and Merseyside.