Southern Water has submitted new plans to bring significant environmental improvements to the East Sussex coastline.

A scheme is urgently needed to deliver improved wastewater treatment to the Brighton, Hove and Peacehaven area.

A new wastewater treatment and sludge recycling scheme would meet the standards of the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive – the Brighton and Hove area is now the only one in East Sussex, and among the last in the UK, not to benefit from a modern wastewater treatment works.

Today, the 95 million litres of wastewater generated every day by the 250,000 residents of Brighton and Hove, Woodingdean, Ovingdean, Rottingdean, Saltdean, Telscombe Cliffs and Peacehaven, is screened at Portobello WTW before being released over a mile out to sea.

Together with a three-mile stormwater storage tunnel underneath Brighton and Hove seafront, this helps the area’s beaches meet European bathing water standards.

Under Southern Water’s latest scheme proposals, the wastewater would have passed through a multi-stage treatment process, including biological treatment, before being released out to sea.

Solid waste removed during this process, known as sludge, would also have been treated to produce an organic fertiliser for use in agriculture.

The company wants to build a £300 million wastewater treatment works and sludge recycling centre on land at Lower Hoddern Farm in Peacehaven. It will deliver modern wastewater treatment facilities to serve the communities between Hove and Peacehaven. The company's original proposal was rejected by the Government in July 2007 following a public inquiry.

Southern Water has now prepared new proposals which respond to the comments made by two Secretaries of State. The new design combines new features, landshaping and planting to blend the proposals into the surrounding landscape.

The new planning application was received by East Sussex County Council, the planning authority, January 2008.

Brighton & Hove City Council has already awarded planning permission for those parts of the scheme which fall within its jurisdiction. These include an underground pumping station at Marine Drive, Brighton, a new underground sewer from Black Rock to the city boundary, and an overflow at Black Rock to release stormwater into the sea during extreme storm conditions and prevent flooding.