Portsmouth Water will shortly begin work to clear the site for the UK’s first new reservoir in three decades after being given the final go-ahead by planning authorities.
The Havant Thicket reservoir is being built in partnership with Southern Water, which is funding the project, to protect chalk streams in Hampshire by providing an alternative, sustainable source of water for the South East.
The first stage of work, which will see the removal of trees from the site, will begin this month and, depending on weather conditions, is expected to continue into November. Some additional removal work may also be required in 2022.
Portsmouth said the timing of the removals will allow them to be carried out in an environmentally sensitive way, for example, by avoiding bird nesting season.
The company said it is going to great effort to ensure wildlife is not harmed, with ecologists on site during tree removals and specialist climbers inspecting individual trees to ensure they are free of animals before felling begins.
Portsmouth said it has also been working with ecologists to create new habitats in Havant Thicket and the surrounding area, planting or improving more than 200 hectares of woodland and wood pasture and creating new wildlife corridors along site boundaries. It said it has already planted more than 6,000 new trees, installed 200 bat boxes and 300 dormice boxes and relocated another 200 dormice boxes.
Bob Taylor, chief executive officer for Portsmouth Water, said: “I am delighted to announce that full, formal planning permission has now been granted for Havant Thicket Reservoir. Havant Thicket Reservoir is first and foremost an environmentally-led project. Its purpose is to provide a new sustainable source of water, thereby reducing abstraction from world-renowned chalk streams in Hampshire.
“We appreciate there are understandably some concerns around the loss of ancient woodland. I would like to reassure residents that Portsmouth Water has put significant measures in place to protect wildlife on site and to compensate the area for this loss.”
Construction of the reservoir itself is scheduled to begin in 2023 and finish in 2026. Portsmouth said it then will take until 2029 to complete the remaining work of filling the reservoir, creating a new network of paths and building the visitor centre and other facilities.