Years spent building Fens Reservoir ‘will impact local area’
The Project will provide water for around 250,000 homes every year
People will be impacted in the five to six year construction period of the new Fens Reservoir, a representative of Anglian Water has said.
Clair Dunn, the reservoirs head of transformation at Anglian Water, said now is the time for those with concerns about disruption to share their feedback on the project.
Ms Dunn said the new reservoir is one of the “most significant investments in water management in the Fens for centuries”.
The project, by Anglian Water in partnership with Cambridge Water, will provide water for around 250,000 homes every year once built.
Current timelines for the project aim to have the reservoir supplying water by 2036.
Planning permission is still needed for the project, and a third public consultation is currently underway to gather views.
Anglian Water has said it expects the construction of the reservoir to take around five to six years, with up to 2,000 construction workers needed.
The company estimates that during the busiest construction years there could be an additional 1,000 to 1,400 vehicles (HGVs and light vehicles) per day on the construction transport routes identified.
Ms Dunn said she recognised that “there will be impacts on the local community during the construction phase”.
She said they are already speaking with those who they know will be impacted.
Some options being considered to manage the impact of construction have also been set out as part of the consultation. These include reusing material on site to reduce the need to export it, and looking at whether the rail lines can be used to move materials.
Ms Dunn said now is “absolutely the opportunity” for people with concerns about the potential disruption to share their views, so that feedback can inform the project plans.
She said: “We are looking at early proposals for things like how we move material around, so some key issues around how we move material to and from the site.
“We are looking at how we could use renewable energy to power the reservoir in the future, and how we manage those construction activities sensitively within the local area.
“We are also looking then at some of the other bigger aspects, how we get water to the reservoir and away from the reservoir.
“These are some of the key aspects of this consultation phase that we will be looking for local communities to engage with and send us their feedback, so this is an ideal opportunity for them to get involved at this stage.
“There will be another phase of consultation, phase four, next year, so this is not the last opportunity, but the earlier they can get their feedback in the process, the more it can make a difference, so I would urge them to get involved in this consultation.”
Ms Dunn also highlighted the importance of the reservoir for the area.
She said: “Our region is one of the fastest growing in the country and that is a big challenge, growth on this scale requires new houses, hospitals, schools, businesses, and they all need water.
“It is also one of the driest areas in the country, it is low lying and it is susceptible to the effects of climate change, which means we will see more frequent droughts and flooding events in the winter.
“Water management has always been vital to the Fens and this reservoir is the next step, it is the most significant investment in water management in the Fens for a long time, for centuries, so it is a really key step to take us into the future.”
Ms Dunn added that the reservoir is also part of a wider strategy to meet the demand for water created by growth of housing and jobs in the area.
She said all of Anglian Water’s plans looked 50 years ahead to make sure they can meet that demand.
She said: “We have got the reservoirs, the strategic pipeline is key, and we have a number of other projects that we are looking at as well that we may bring in at the right time as and when they are needed in the future.
“It is a big interconnected plan for the region.”
Ms Dunn also said the reservoir will help reduce the impact of droughts by “keeping taps flowing”, and would help minimise flooding by storing water in the reservoir during high river flows.
She added that Anglian Water also wants the Fens Reservoir to go “beyond being a public water supply”.
She said: “We want to create a really exciting place where people, nature and water come together and can really transform this area.
“This can include nature reserves for wildlife, and wetlands for habitat development, footpaths, cyclepaths, and other leisure activities on the reservoir itself, such as windsurfing, sailing; these are all really hugely successful in some of our other reservoirs.
“We also want to create links to the surrounding towns and villages, we want to make it really easy for local people to really enjoy this place.”
Ms Dunn added that through the current consultation people can also share their views around the other potential uses of the reservoir and said she is looking forward to seeing the feedback that will “help shape the project”.
The current consultation runs until midnight on December 10. People can share their feedback on the plans online through the project website www.fensreservoir.co.uk