News from Yorkshire Water:
Re Barrett Taylor Wimpey, Norton Lodge application for 645 houses. Yorkshire Water has written to the Local Planning Authority, North Yorkshire Council (letter dated 16 January 2025), requesting the following condition: “No buildings shall be occupied or brought into use prior to completion of the approved foul drainage works. (To ensure that no foul water discharges take place until proper provision has been made for their disposal).”
This is a last-minute, but welcome, response (and important first step) to avert an increase in environmental pollution. Next, we need new highway junctions and a new roudabout on/off the A64. North Yorkshire Council and National Highways will either provide the required infrastructure, or it will damage the health of the public by causing an increase in air pollution (including carcinogenic Nitrogen Dioxide). The breathable air in Malton and Norton contains two and a half times the WHO (World Health Organisation) Global Air Quality Guidlines. Beware the wolf that tells you otherwise.
Simon Thackray 24 January 2025.
INDETERMINACY by John Cage
Performed by Stewart Lee, voice, Tania Caroline Chen, piano and Steve Beresford, piano and objects. Saturday 1st Feb. 2025, 3:30pm, National Centre for Early Music, York.
– a one-off event to highlight the sewage pollution of the River Derwent SSSI in Malton and Norton, by Yorkshire Water, North Yorkshire Council and the Environment Agency.
SOLD OUT
Here is the Yorkshire Water sewage spill data for Malton, Norton and Old Malton in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023. 2024 data available in March 2025. The figures are taken from the Environment Agency EDM (Event Duration Monitoring) records and The Rivers Trust Sewage Map. Spill data is submitted by Yorkshire Water and confirms that the Yorkshire Water sewerage system for the towns of Malton and Norton is not fit for purpose.
The EA and Rivers Trust data for Yorkshire is complemented by the Yorkshire Water Live Storm Overflow Map. More about the map here.
The EDM records show the number and duration of sewage spills into the river Derwent SSSI which amounts to thousands of hours each year due to the lack of capacity in the sewerage system to accomodate the volume of sewage produced by the towns.
WARNING: Malton and Norton and Old Malton (and River Derwent SSSI) are facing an environmetnal disaster: If the Barrett Taylor Wimpey planning application for 645 houses on land adjoining Norton Lodge, Norton, and the Fitzwilliam Trust Corporation application for 200 houses in Malton are approved, the sewage will be discharged into the river. The Malton sewerage system (and sewage treatment works) does not have the capacity to treat the additional volume of sewage.
NEWS UPDATE 24 JANUARY 2025: Re Planning Application 21/01115/MOUTE submitted by Barrett Taylor Wimpey for 645 houses in Norton, Malton.
Yorkshire Water has written to the Local Planning Authority, North Yorkshire Council (letter dated 16 January 2025) requesting the following condition be attached to any planning permission granted, that… [ Read the full letter here ]
“No development shall take place until details of the proposed means of disposal of foul water drainage for the whole site, including details of any balancing works, off-site works and phasing of the necessary infrastructure, have been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority. Furthermore, unless otherwise approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority, no buildings shall be occupied or brought into use prior to completion of the approved foul drainage works. (To ensure that no foul water discharges take place until proper provision has been made for their disposal).“
Reason: to prevent wholesale sewage pollution of the River Derwent SSSI SAC by Yorkshire Water, and prevent an increase in sewage pollution of the wider Malton and Norton environment.

Yorkshire Water sewage ‘spill’ data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Yorkshire Water Live Storm Overflow Map
Environment Agency EDM Records (Links to individual years)
Malton, Norton and Old Malton Pumping Plan and the Arup report