Following months of public consultation and extensive technical surveys, South East Water has announced that the selected route for a new strategic water main for Sevenoaks is through Knole Park’s Gallops.

The new water pipe will support a 12-inch pipe laid in the 1950s which runs under Sevenoaks High Street, to keep water pressures high as new developments are built and demand for water increases.

Without the new pipe, parts of Sevenoaks could have no water or low pressure during peak summer demand as early as 2021.

The selected route takes into account a number of factors including socio-economic impact, environment and engineering difficulty, as well as work duration and cost.

Paul Beaumont, Project Manager at South East Water, said:

“Over the last eight months we have spoken to hundreds of Sevenoaks residents, businesses and local interest groups.

“We've been working closely with a number of organisations including Sevenoaks District Council, the National Trust, Sackville Trust and Sir Michael Fallon MP as we came to our decision.

“Those we consulted with overwhelmingly preferred the new pipe to run through the valley of Knole Park and ground investigation surveys confirmed that this is the only viable route option.

“Much of the new pipe will follow the route of our existing main in the park’s valley bottom.”

“If customers have any questions about our decision, I'd encourage them to speak to our project team at the public exhibition session where we'll be displaying our latest plans."

Construction work on the new drinking water pipe is due to start in spring 2020 and last up to 12 months.