Plans to build 126 homes metres from Bridlington borehole which supplies millions of litres of drinking water

Keyland Developments Ltd, the property trading arm of Kelda Group, Yorkshire Water’s parent company, is seeking outline planning permission to develop fields off the A165 Scarborough Road. The 10-acre site, currently used to graze horses, is within the groundwater Source Protection Zone 1 for the Flamborough chalk aquifer.

YW’s Higher Water Works borehole is just nine metres east of the site, and 9,800 cubic metres of water is abstracted from it daily. There are also two covered reservoirs nearby.

A report by consultants submitted to East Riding Council as part of the plans state that the “ramifications of a groundwater pollution event would be enormous”.

They add: “If unexpected contaminants pollute groundwater, they will enter the public supply system with little or no warning before water is at customers’ taps.”

The plans state that as part of measures to protect the borehole they will double-line the foul sewers, and use oversized pipes with interceptors for surface water drainage.

There’d also be no buildings within 50 metres of the borehole, with the area used as open space instead.

The site, which was sold to Keyland some years ago, isn’t allocated for housing but the developers claim it will “make an efficient and attractive use of the land on a site which is largely surrounded by existing and proposed housing”.

In a statement YW said it was reviewing the technical solution put forward by specialist subconsultants to protect the borehole “with protection of the water supply as a key priority". It said: "Approval of any application on the site would be conditioned to ensure any measures to protect the borehole were very carefully implemented and adhered to."