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Campaigners raised the alarm about sewage and the Royal Mail’s plans in Patcham at a “Re-imagine Brighton” event held by Brighton and Hove City Council last night (Monday 25 March).
The event was organised to discuss how to enhance people’s health as part of the council plan for 2023 to 2027.
It had been due to take place in Patcham but was moved to Robert Lodge, in Whitehawk, where concerned Patcham residents went along with two of their ward councillors, Alistair McNair and Anne Meadows.
They said that the Royal Mail’s plans for a depot at Patcham Court Farm could harm the drinking water supply for much of Brighton and Hove.
They also said that the plans could worsen the sewage problems in the Patcham area where the existing pipes struggle to cope with current volumes even before any new building.
Patcham Against Royal Mail campaigners were concerned that the abrupt change of venue might be an attempt by the council to avoid having to address flooding and linked health issues in Patcham – as well as areas such as Woodingdean, Mouslecoomb and Hollingbury.
Mike Howard, co-lead of Patcham Against Royal Mail said: “It is disturbing that Brighton and Hove City Council seems to want to brush one of the city’s most shameful environmental health risks under the carpet and ignore the fact that raw sewage regularly runs through our streets in Patcham.
“If the council were taking our health seriously, they would halt Royal Mail’s abysmal plans for Patcham Court Farm which will put local residents at further risk of sewage leaks and could contaminate our drinking water supply.
“The council need to stop the expensive health risks Royal Mail poses today.”
The campaigners cited a flood risk assessment for the Royal Mail scheme by consultancy firm Mott MacDonald.
It said that the “impermeable area” at Patcham Court Farm would more than double if the new delivery depot scheme went ahead.
This would mean that significantly more flood water would enter the already overloaded sewer network.
Patcham Court Farm is a key part of the aquifer, a natural feature which holds water and is ranked as a “zone 1 source protection zone”, the highest rating given for groundwater absorption.
Patcham Court Farm is also located close to the Waterhall Pumping Station and is part of the “drinking water protected area” which supplies drinking water to more than 116,000 households across Brighton and Hove.
Data from Southern Water obtained under the Environmental Information Regulation – a “freedom of information” type regime – revealed that there have been more than 280 sewage leaks in Patcham since 2020. This equated to an average of at least one incident a week over the past four years.
An independent assessment detected e-coli in Patcham Junior School’s water-logged playing field after heavy downpours of rain in January.
Patcham parents have been reporting that their children smell of sewage and experience sickness bugs after heavy downpours of rain.
Campaigners say that this situation will only get worse if Royal Mail’s plans to build a delivery depot at Patcham Court Farm are allowed to proceed.
The Royal Mail has previously said that it would put in place measures to protect the aquifer, to be agreed by Southern Water, before building the depot.
Councillor Bruno De Oliveira, chair of the council’s Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “The Brighton and Hove Re-imagine events are a pilot engagement programme to bring together people with different views to examine challenges facing the city and to work together to solve.
“Over the last five months, engagement events have been held on graffiti, the ‘cost of living crisis’, violence against women and girls and health and wellbeing.
“We acknowledge the venue change of our latest Re-imagine event on health and wellbeing from Patcham to Whitehawk.
“This decision was made for logistical reasons unrelated to the concerns raised by PARM. Residents from Patcham attended yesterday’s event and highlighted the challenges around flooding and Patcham Court Farm.
“Their concerns and feedback were recorded and will be shared with relevant stakeholders. The event allowed direct participation from residents from a variety of backgrounds and was very well received.”
Councillor De Oliveira added: “We are committed to addressing environmental health issues throughout the city and to continuing open dialogue and collaboration with communities to ensure that all voices are heard and considered through the decision-making process.
“We are currently consulting on the best ways to help our residents play a bigger part in the work of the council and welcome your feedback and views.”
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