Thames Water is encouraging customers, communities and stakeholders to have their say on plans for a proposed new reservoir near Abingdon, Oxfordshire; the first community engagement event commences on Thursday 27 June in Sutton Courtenay.

Image: artists impression of Abingdon Reservoir

For the first time, Thames Water will be using virtual reality to present its vision for the reservoir to those attending the community events.

The company is hosting seven events throughout June and July with experts on hand to answer customers, community and stakeholder questions.

Thames Water has already received over 150 responses commenting on the latest design proposals for the new reservoir in the first three weeks since the consultation launched on 5 June 2024.

The 12-week non-statutory public consultation is supported by a series of community events, which will begin this Thursday 27 June at Sutton Courtenay Village Hall. For the first time, Thames Water’s Strategic Resource Options (SRO) team, which is focused on developing major new infrastructure projects to tackle the risk of drought, will be showcasing the vision for the reservoir using virtual reality (VR).

The VR experience will enable those attending to try on a specialist a headset and navigate their way around different sections of the reservoir using hand operated controls. The VR system has been developed by Atkins in response to feedback from local residents who wanted a greater understanding of what the reservoir could look like, and its alignment to the existing landscape.

Leonie Dubois, Thames Water’s Head of Engagement, Land and Consents said:

“We’re absolutely delighted with the level of response we’ve already received to our public consultation. Local communities are certainly alive to the climate change challenge and recognise that we need to invest in more new reservoirs to support future growth. “Naturally, we’ve heard from people with concerns too, and I’d encourage them to come and see us when we visit towns and villages in Oxfordshire over the next four weeks. The opportunity for two-way conversation is an important part of the consultation process, and we genuinely want to hear people’s views and hopefully help to alleviate their concerns.”

Last week, Thames Water’s SRO team confirmed the appointment of its new technical partner for the reservoir known as SESRO (South East Strategic Reservoir Option).

The Arup Binnies joint venture will work alongside the SRO team to deliver technical services in engineering design, environmental assessment, planning, and land access and acquisition. Representatives from the joint venture team will be in attendance at the community events, supporting conversations with local communities and sharing their expertise in the design and construction of major water resource projects.

The community event programme is also proving popular, with almost 400 people having registered to attend the events so far. Events will be held on the following dates and delegates are encouraged to select and register for their preferred event in advance.

• Thursday 27 June, 2pm to 8pm, Sutton Courtenay Village Hall, Sutton Courtenay
• Saturday 29 June, 10am to 4pm, Royal British Legion, East Hanney
• Monday 1 July, 11am to 5pm, Abingdon Guildhall, Abingdon
• Friday 5 July, 11am to 5pm, Loyd Lindsay Rooms, Wantage
• Tuesday 9 July, 2pm to 8pm, Didcot Civic Hall, Didcot
• Monday 15 July, 2pm to 8pm, Milton Hill House, Steventon
• Thursday 18 July, 2pm to 8pm, Marcham Centre, Marcham

The 12-week public consultation will close on Wednesday, 28 August 2024. All consultation responses will be considered, and feedback will help to inform future design stages. Local communities and stakeholders will be invited to have their say on the revised proposals at a second public consultation in 2025.