Thames Water proposals for Oxfordshire mega-reservoir hit with Judicial Review
It'll be heard over today and tomorrow
The High Court will hear a Judicial Review case, brought by CPRE Oxfordshire and campaign group SAFERWaters, against Thames Water’s plans for a £2.6 billion mega-reservoir. They believe that the reservoir, which would be the second-largest in England and cover an area the size of Gatwick Airport, is completely un-necessary, will devastate local ecology and livelihoods, increase the risk of flooding and squander billpayers’ funds.
Derek Stork, a director of SAFERWaterS said: “This is a scandalous misuse of public money. Instead of investing in essential sewage cleanup and modern water reuse systems, Thames Water wants to build an untested bunded structure the height of an eight-story building that puts communities at risk while lining shareholder pockets.”
Lisa Warne, director of CPRE Oxfordshire, said: “The UK is already one of Europe’s most wasteful water users per person – we currently reuse just 0.08% of urban wastewater, the lowest rate in Europe. The government should prioritise leakage reduction, water reuse, and efficiency, not this vanity reservoir.”
Olly Glover, MP for Didcot and Wantage said: “I, and other local Liberal Democrat colleagues, have long called for proper transparency and rigorous scrutiny of decision making around Thames Water’s plans for this enormous reservoir near Abingdon. Many of my constituents have significant concerns about the impact of such a large reservoir, and I welcome any opportunity for these concerns to be heard and addressed fully. Given their shoddy record on sewage, and wobbly finances, local residents have no faith in Thames Water to properly deliver such a huge and complex project.”