Residents’ confusion as Icosa Water applies to be sewage undertaker of Thatcham site in place of Thames Water

Water and wastewater service provider Icosa has put a planning application in to West Berkshire Council to become the sewage undertaker for a new housing development in place of Thames Water.

The planning application labels the site as the Newbury Sewerage Purification Works site on Lower Way, Thatcham – a facility that deals with sewage treatment locally.

This caused anger – and confusion – in Thatcham with many residents wondering why Thames Water would delegate responsibility of a site it owns.

Some said, primarily on Twitter, that they feared Thames Water, which was privatised in 1989, was off-loading its assess to other companies to avoid scrutiny.

One Twitter user called it the “Machiavellian dealings of water companies” while others called for action from local MPs to look into it.

However, Icosa has since clarified that it had actually been applying for sewage responsibility of a new, still-to-be-completed housing development on the same street.

The development is a 91-home build on Lower Way, which was approved earlier this year.

Icosa was chosen by the housing developer to be its appointed company for the management of this site as a ‘NAV’ company.

NAV companies (new appointments and variations) are limited companies which provide a water or sewerage service to customers in an area which was previously provided by the incumbent monopoly provider.

If a licence is granted by regulatory body OFWAT (Water Services Regulation Authority), Icosa will be responsible for the customers of that new housing site.

Icosa legal and regulatory director Raoul De Lange said the company – which is part of a wider group which also runs electricity and gas – has the same statutory rights and obligations as Thames Water.

He told the Newbury Weekly News: “We are under the exact same obligations that Thames Water would have so if any problems arise Icosa is on the hook for it under our regulatory framework.”

He also said that Icosa cannot charge any more than Thames Water.

An OFWAT spokesperson has confirmed this.

It said: “New connections and developer services are contestable markets, the developer in this case has chosen Icosa to be the appointed company for this new development and subject to Ofwat licensing checks will have its appointment varied to include this area.

“Icosa water is already a licensed water company in other areas and has the same duties and responsibilities as any other undertaker.”

The sewage purification treatment site on Lower Way is owned and still managed by Thames Water.

This site remains under Thames Water’s authority and the utility company says it has no plans to transfer that responsibility.

It said the site is a Thames Water “owned and operated network and sewage treatment works”.

West Berkshire Council said that the plan has nil land use planning implications and – though it raised no objections to the proposal – the decision will ultimately come down to the parties involved as to whether any responsibility transfer takes place.

A West Berkshire Council spokesperson said: “West Berkshire Council were consulted on this application by Icosa Water Services Ltd which set out their intention to take over the responsibility of managing the site from Thames Water.

“This variation has nil land use planning implications so the Local Planning Authority raised no objections to the proposal.

“While WBC raised no objections to the proposals it is ultimately the decision of those parties involved as to whether this transfer takes place.”