Campaigners ready for SWW after plans rejected

A campaign group in Cornwall said it was prepared for "whatever comes next" after South West Water's (SWW) plans to build a desalination plant received a setback.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has rejected an application for test drilling at the site at Par in St Austell Bay, saying it did not have "sufficient information".

Jenny Tagney, the chair of Friend of Par Beach group, said: "We are definitely not standing down yet because we know they will keep coming."

SWW said it was still "committed" to progressing the application and would resubmit it "as soon as the necessary details are ready".

Ms Tagney said the group would continue to oppose the plans: "We did all the fundraising last year so that we could be ready with legal support to challenge whatever comes next."

A desalination plant is a facility that removes salt and other impurities from seawater to produce fresh, drinkable water.

The application by SWW said it was a "key part" of drought resilience measures.

But the Desalination Information Group (DIG) had said they were concerned about the effect of pipelines on seagrass and maerl, a rare pink calcified seaweed which is home to many species of marine animals and plants.

The MMO said following a consultation process it had issued a request for further information on 11 September 2024.

It said SWW failed to provide sufficient information to enable a determination.

SWW said in a statement it would submit additional information once a review of recent survey findings had been completed.

"We remain committed to progressing our application and will resubmit it as soon as the necessary details are ready," it said.

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