Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has had recent discussions with the Environment Agency on their process for approving a planning application in the case of new development in Oxfordshire that will be connected to Oxford Sewage Treatment Works.

MHCLG ministers have had no recent discussions with the Environment Agency (EA) in respect of the matter in question.

The EA has worked with Thames Water to develop a strategic approach to managing wastewater capacity challenges in Oxford. Working with local partners, it is tracking delivery of the improvements to the Oxford Sewage Treatment Works to ensure the delivery of sufficient wastewater capacity in this critical growth area.