The green light has been given by Havant Borough Council for Portsmouth Water to build the Havant Thicket Reservoir in Hampshire.
Havant Thicket will be the first new reservoir built in the UK for 30 years. It will supply customers of neighbouring Southern Water with surplus water from aquifers in the Havant area.
The scheme will be built in partnership with Southern, which has a bulk supply agreement with Portsmouth. Southern is working to reduce abstraction from chalk streams and rivers in the western end of its region to protect the waterways so must find alternative water supplies. A supply agreement has existed between the companies since 2004 and the reservoir will make 21 million litres of water available to Southern customers.
Bob Taylor, chief executive of Portsmouth, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to receive the support of Havant Borough Council to progress plans for the reservoir, which will secure much-needed water supplies for the region and, in particular, protect two of Hampshire’s rare chalk streams, the River Itchen and River Test.
The reservoir will create and improve 180 hectares of woodland and pasture as well as a wetland. Portsmouth said the site will include space for leisure and education as part of its community-focused agenda to create jobs and support the economy.
Taylor described it as “a long journey to this point” to engage with and gain support within the community for the project that was first proposed more than a decade ago.
Construction is expected to begin from June 2023 and run until December 2026, after which a visitor centre would be built, and the reservoir filled. All work is scheduled to be completed by the end of December 2029.
The council also approved plans for a pipeline to fill the reservoir with water from nearby Bedhampton Springs.