Sheffield sewage storage tank on track for summer 2027 completion

A £3.2m project beneath Sheffield allotments is intended to reduce sewage spills into Firth Park stream and prevent sewage flooding at nearby homes.

Yorkshire Water says construction at the Brushes allotment site on Vickers Road is roughly two-thirds complete, with completion still planned for summer 2027, BBC News reports.

The underground tank will hold up to 1.5 million litres of rainwater and wastewater when flows are high. It measures 15m across and reaches 17m below ground.

The company expects the scheme to cut discharges into the stream by 90%. Jon Stokes, Yorkshire Water’s head of alliance delivery, said the stored water would be sent to sewage treatment works for cleaning before being released into the environment.

Allotment charity adapts during closure

The construction displaced Friends of Firth Park Community Allotments, which had used the site for about 20 years. In January, the charity warned that an 18-month interruption to its activities could threaten its survival, raising concerns about funding and compensation.

Its allotment coordinator, Saskia Peet, said the group had continued projects at schools and other community growing spaces. That had helped protect funding and opened up opportunities for local families.

Peet accepted that the sewage works were necessary but remained concerned about established growing areas, the loss of mature fruit trees, compensation and restoration. She estimated that replacing the trees would take five to 10 years, while expressing hope that the redeveloped allotment could attract more users.

Yorkshire Water said it had worked with Sheffield City Council to find alternative plots for tenants where possible and had stored equipment for others. After construction, it plans to restore the allotments and bring three previously unusable plots into use.

The company said it would address outstanding compensation claims. The project is one of 470 across the county within its £1.5bn programme to reduce storm overflows across the region by 2030.

Source: BBC News