Doctor’s fears over sewage treatment
A LEADING medical doctor is worried about risks to his seriously disabled sister’s health from a sewage treatment system.
Dr Henry Lupa, is complaining about plans to discharge the sewage system into a stream circling 22 homes. His sister is due to move into one of them.
There’s anger at the homes in Bonhomie Court, Broadcommon Road, Hurst about the treatment system installed, without permission, for a new barn conversion house about 400 yards from their homes and gardens.
IT project manager Andrew Wilson was horrified to discover the end of the system’s discharge pipe installed, without his go ahead, over the waterway running through his garden.
A planning application has now been made for the wastewater treatment plant at Grange Farm, Islandstone Lane.
Twelve Bonhomie Court residents had raised objections to planning permission being given yesterday. The deadline for comments to Wokingham Borough Council is today (Thursday).
Dr Lupa, who is chief medical officer to QinetiQ plc defence and security company and an expert advisor to the General Medical Council, said in his objection: “I, as a Trustee, purchased the property within the last month in Trust on behalf of my seriously disabled sister, who has yet to move into the property
in Bonhomie Court with her live-in carer.
“The location was selected so that she could sit in her wheelchair and enjoy her garden which backs directly onto the stream.
“Unfortunately, this stream could soon be potentially contaminated and thus pose a significantly higher risk to her health due to the immunosuppressive medications she needs to take.
“I am hence very concerned that in the event that this application is passed, we may have inadvertently moved her to a property that is likely to impact on her longer term health.
“Notably, and of grave concern, is that Wokingham Borough Council did not declare that that this may be happening during any of the very recent searches conducted by our solicitors, which would have influenced our decision to purchase at this time.”
Resident Valerie Tester objected saying: “With a serious lung condition, this installation will cause me to have rethink my living conditions here at Bonhomie Court. How disgraceful is that!”
Mr Wilson who has been campaigning against the system lodged his objections. This week he told Wokingham.Today that the council should not have approved the barn conversion without knowing and approving details of how sewage would be dealt with.
Neither Wokingham Borough Council or the application’s agents, mm3 Design, had replied to the residents’ allegations as we went to press.