When I read Adam Trimingham's piece (The Argus, June 7) on the proposed Peacehaven sewage works, my immediate thoughts were: "He's just being controversial. It's in the interest of the paper".
However, a lot of people believe what is written in the press so here is a contrary view.
There are water restrictions coming into place in East Sussex soon. Why? Not just because of the "winter drought" (do I hear shouts of global warming?) but also because companies, such as Southern Water, do not want to shell out for ultra-violet (UV) filtration.
"UV filtration?" - I can imagine Mr Trimingham asking. "It's just another expense. Who needs that?"
We need that. Especially in view of the imminent hosepipe bans. If Southern Water used UV filters, water could be re-used. Instead, it proposes to pump thousands of tons of "unusable" water into the sea at Peacehaven, while Newhaven proposes to pump thousands of tons of seawater ashore to desalinate then use. Where is the logic?
"I am pleased Brighton's sea-water readings are good", wrote Trimingham but does he realise part of Southern Water's plans are to have a storm pipe which reaches just beyond Brighton beach, so in times of torrential rainfall, untreated or semi-treated effluent will flow into the sea (which will then come back on land via Newhaven).
Southern Water said this will only happen once every 50 years but look at the flooding which has happened several times in recent years.
Mr Trimingham is right that, in 2001, the Government decided not to approve the scheme at Portobello. However, he didn't say why. It was because of several extremely valid reasons which came out in the public inquiry.
I won't go into the issues of much-needed commercial businesses considering moving to Peacehaven then pulling out, or the up-and-coming fun/play factory for children, which also suddenly lost interest.
If Mr Trimingham thinks it is fine to build a sewage plant at the back doors of residential homes, to run miles of new pipelines under housing, to have heavy lorries passing
a junior and secondary school (which are on the "safe routes to school" scheme), to further congest an already sluggish A259 (one road in, one road out), and to build on a greenfield site, then he deserves to remain on the planet on which he is currently living.
-Mrs Lynn Enever, Peacehaven
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