Work is set to begin on Havant Thicket Reservoir this September, subject to Portsmouth Water receiving final permission to start the flagship project.

Following years of planning and research, Portsmouth Water is ready to start preparatory work on site as soon as final permission has been granted. This is expected to happen in September, with work commencing straight away.

The site for the £140 million reservoir scheme has been owned by Portsmouth Water since 1965 and covers 160 hectares.

The first stage of work is planned to take place in the autumn in order to avoid the bird nesting season, allowing contractors to carry out the required tasks in as environmentally a sensitive way as possible.

Initial work will involve installing a small site compound - this is planned to start from 13th September, subject to the formal granting of planning permission.

Work to clear the site is then expected to begin at the end of September. Due to environmental and seasonal constraints, the tree harvesting activities will need to be completed by the end of October.

Significant measures will be taken to ensure wildlife is not harmed and that animals are not present during construction works.

Ecologists will be on site when the clearance work takes place and only ecologists with appropriate licences will be involved, all work in line with protected licences from Natural England.

Bob Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, Portsmouth Water, said:

“This will be a landmark moment for the Havant Thicket Reservoir project. Many years of planning and a great deal of research has gone into this project and I am delighted that work should soon be underway.”

Havant Thicket Reservoir is an environmentally-led scheme which will provide a sustainable source of water for the South East and help to safeguard world-renowned chalk streams in Hampshire.

Portsmouth Water has developed an extensive environmental mitigation and compensation package, working with the Environment Agency, Natural England, the county council’s ecologist and the Forestry Commission, which they support.

This will include planting and improving over 200 hectares of woodland and wood pasture, locating wildlife corridors around the perimeter of the site, creating a new wetland on the northern shore to support threatened bird species, improving local streams and launching a grant scheme to support environmental projects.

Following a pre-qualification process, in May 2021 the water company formally invited seven suppliers to tender for the two main work packages – the main reservoir and its associated pipeline – worth a total of £140 million. Contracts are due to be awarded in March 2022.

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