PLANS for work to improve the water quality at a treatment plant near Kendal will only be approved if North West Water agree to address the safety concerns of neighbouring residents.

The water company has applied to South Lakeland District Council to create a sludge press building, chemical building and chlorine drum store along with treatment plant units, emergency storage lagoon, new access and landscaping at its Watchgate Water Treatment works, near Selside.

This work, estimated to cost £25 million, will enable the company to comply with new standards set to improve the quality of drinking water.

SLDC's development control sub-committee heard that new procedures for treating the water will involve the site storing less chlorine, which had prompted concerns from Selside Parish Council that NWW would no longer be required to have policies in place for dealing with any spillages of the substance.

The committee agreed that the director of amenities and development would only approve the plans if NWW agreed to continue to undertake a risk assessment and have an off-site plan outlining how evacuation of the plant and the surrounding area would take place if necessary.

Helen Lord, for NWW, later told the Gazette that although the amount of chlorine stored on site would be halved, which would reduce the risk status of the site, formal risk assessments would continue to be carried out as a matter of course.

She added that the plant would continue to operate under statutory safety regulations.

Plans for the work at Watchgate also involve the realigning of a public footpath, and councillors agreed to delegate powers of approval for these changes to SLDC's director of amenities and development.