SOUTHERN Water has abandoned its controversial plans to build a waste treatment plant at Foreness Point at Margate in favour of expanding the existing plant at Weatherlees near Sandwich.

The company has spent seven years planning the new treatment site and has come up against stiff opposition from residents of the area surrounding Foreness.

The water company submitted an outline planning application to Kent County Council and despite that being agreed were unable to secure the land from Thanet council.

The new treatment works, which will cater for the residents of Margate and Broadstairs will be seen as a victory to the Foreness protestors.

The new works will treat the 20 million litres of wastewater generated by the 93,000 residents of Margate and Broadstairs.

It will be tacked onto the side of the existing plant, which caters for Ramsgate, Sandwich and Deal, and initial plans indicate there will be no need for the site to significantly grow.

A small amount of work will need to take place at Foreness to build a water pumping station, as it is a natural drain for Thanet’s wastewater, but it will be underground and once the work is complete the landscape will be the same.

The £80 million project is expected to be completed by 2007 and work will not only include the building of the expanded site but also nearly eight miles of underground pipes.

The company held a strategic review that brought forward a number of reasons for moving the site including changes in environmental legislation.

David Bone, the project team manager at Southern Water, said he hoped this change in the plans will let people know the company listened to their concerns.

“That strategic review has also given us the opportunity to take on board again the comments made by residents, the Foreness Environmental Action Group and members of Thanet District Council, and allowed us to develop a new solution.

“We hope that this will demonstrate that we have listened to those concerns and taken positive action.”