Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has earmarked the town in the north east of the borough for thousands of new homes in its draft Local Plan.
The Town Council has formally objected to the plan, partly due to the lack of investment in in sewerage and drainage in the area.
Around 1,000 homes have already been approved in Church Farm and Mascalls Court Farm, and there are concerns the ailing water system will not be able to cope with the additional demand.
Last month, before Parliament was dissolved, the MP for Tunbridge Wells, Greg Clark, called on the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Rebecca Pow, to hold the water company ‘to account’ if improvements were not made.
Mr Clark highlighted Southern Water’s repeated failures within Paddock Wood, where he said flooding and soiled water were perennial issues in the town, and that if the water company could not sort those out, the area would be in no fit state to accommodate new homes.
Now Southern Water has said it is to announce its plans for a new sewer system in the town in the New Year.
It is understood the £2.9million ‘comprehensive investment plan’ to upgrade the sewer system will include two new pumping stations and a new pipe network around the town.
A spokesman for the water company said: “We’ll be presenting our plans to build a new sewer pipeline around Paddock Wood to the community in the New Year.
“This is to cater for future housing growth of up to 1,000 homes and we estimate this work will cost around £3 million.
“We’re currently working on the design after which we will be able to confirm our construction plans.”
Greg Clark described the announcement as ‘great news’, adding: “It is a tremendous result not just for Paddock Wood but also for around the town.”
