BEAUTIFUL greenbelt countryside near Romsley will be wrecked by a “giant” water treatment plant, furious environmentalists have claimed.

Severn Trent Water (STW) is building a £250 million pipeline between Stourport and Frankley, and a Break Pressure Tank (BPT) plant is planned for Pound Lane.

HGV lorries will be a regular sight in the village as they transfer chemicals to the plant, which Romsley Parish Council fears will stand six metres high and include a 25m x 20m Break Pressure Tank.

The site will be surrounded by three-metre-high security fencing.

Concerned villagers have set up the Romsley Action Group, founder Lois Swift said: “Many residents feel they have been misled about the size and scale of the development and STW are trying to push the plans through without responding fully.

“This is not a NIMBY exercise as we realise this is an important project but the development will have a significant effect on our village for many years.”

She added: “HGV lorries will be delivering large quantities of carbon chemicals to be added to the water supply.

“There is apparently to be intrusive lighting and two ‘high hoppers’ with gantries.”

She added: “We are really worried about traffic going through the village as well as the noise and pollution from the construction and operation of the BPT.

“There are also huge concerns about the size of the development and its suitability for a rural area.”

Romsley Parish Council is demanding answers from Severn Trent Water.

Chairman Richard Arrowsmith said: “The parish council recognises the importance of the project to the resilience of the region however, given the scale of the works, there will be significant disruption to our parish for several years.

“The council has raised several concerns including the control and minimisation of construction traffic through the parish, assurances that disruption, noise and pollution resulting from both construction and operation are minimised, and concerns about the size and scale of the BPT.”

Severn Trent Water stressed the importance of the Birmingham Resilience Project.

Most of Birmingham’s water flows down the Elan Valley Aqueduct (EVA) from reservoirs in the Welsh hills. The aqueduct is over a hundred years old and needs maintenance to keep it in service, which means draining it for extended periods.

The Birmingham Resilience Project will provide an alternative source of water during those maintenance periods and will be used for up to 50 days every other year.

Sarah-Jayne O-Kane, from Severn Trent Water, said: “We understand that some of the residents of Romsley are concerned about our plans for the Birmingham Resilience Project.

"With this in mind, we’ve arranged another drop in session so that anyone with questions or concerns can come and talk to us. We’ll be at St Kenelms Church Hall on Friday (11 March) from 3pm to 8pm.

“There does seem to be a bit of confusion around the size and location of the break pressure tank, with people thinking it will be a lot bigger than it actually is." 

She added: "To help people to ‘see’ what it’ll look like, we’ve placed some poles in the location of the tank, to show the highest point of the building, so that the local residents can see what the height and location of the tank is and we’re confident that this shows that the site will be almost invisible from view."

She added: “We absolutely want people to understand our plans and so we’d encourage people to come and see us on Friday so that we can dispel any wrong information and be clear about what is planned to happen.”