Objections to £17m pumping station

Councillors will decide next Wednesday whether to grant planning permission to Yorkshire Water’s proposed upgrade of Bransholme Pumping Station in Hull.

The station failed at the height of the 2007 floods and an independent report went on to criticise the water company for failing to heed warnings about its condition in 1996 and 2001.

The firm says the new facilities will increase pumping capacity by four times – “significantly” reducing the risk of surface water flooding on the estate. It says the Archimedes Screw pumps it will use are much more robust than the existing diesel pumps, and will be able to cope with extra flows coming from Kingswood, an expanding nearby estate.

Once the new pumping station is operating the existing station will be demolished.

Hull Council has received 45 letters of objection, with concerns about its size amid claims it will devalue properties. However planners are recommending approval, subject to conditions to help minimise its visual impact.