There’s a proposal to build a huge reservoir near Abingdon. It would cover farmland, roads and buildings between Drayton, Steventon, East Hanney and Marcham. The road from Steventon to East Hanney would be diverted and farmland and wildlife habitats lost.

This week, campaign groups (CPRE and Safer Waters) who tried to challenge the plan in court were unsuccessful. They are now hoping to take their case to the Court of Appeal.

The reservoir is being promoted as part of the solution to future water shortages. The reservoir would store enough water to supply 15 million people across the South East. But some local people and campaign groups are concerned it will damage wildlife, take away farmland, and change the local landscape and cause flooding.

Earlier this year, after years of local opposition to this and earlier proposals for a reservoir, the rules changed when Steve Reed, the UK’s Environment Secretary, approved the project and made it a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. That means local councils no longer have the final say. Instead, Thames Water can submit its plans to the Planning Inspectorate. After a public review, a government minister would then decide whether the project can go ahead.

The full planning application is likely to go to the Planning Inspectorate in 2026. If approved, construction could begin in 2029, and the reservoir could be ready from around 2040.

The Stop the Reservoir signs, seen in the villages surrounding the proposed SESRO reservoir site,

are now appearing in Abingdon town centre.

They raise concerns about the reservoir’s impact, particularly the potential rise in the water table – up to one metre.

Explaining the Water table rise of one metre, the Gard site says, ‘On February 13th 2024 Thames Water gave a presentation on Flooding and SESRO  to Oxfordshire County Council, District Councils and other stakeholders . Its engineer from Mott MacDonald clearly stated that the Reservoir if constructed would cause a 1.0 metre rise in Groundwater level, requiring considerable ‘mitigation’. For the villages of East Hanney and Steventon this would greatly worsen existing flood conditions.’

The UK government has approved the construction of a £1.2 billion reservoir near Abingdon as part of a national water management plan. Local councils and community groups oppose the project, citing environmental concerns and lack of public consultation, and have initiated legal action.

In a major speech on Labour’s plans to grow the UK economy with new infrastructure projects, Chancellor Rachel Reeves talked about building a third runway at Heathrow, creating a growth corridor between Oxford and Cambridge, and among other projects, building the Abingdon Reservoir.

Reeves said the government will invest £7.9 billion in water projects over five years, including two big reservoirs: one near Cambridge and one near Abingdon.

The idea of an Abingdon Reservoir has been controversial for decades. Thames water have put forward proposals and local groups and councils have opposed it, but the new Labour government has approved the latest proposal.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) wants a legal review because the Environment Secretary Steve Reed MP approved the £2.2 billion project without a public inquiry.

Picture is taken from https://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/regulation/strategic-water-resource-solutions/new-reservoir-in-abingdon.

Last week we got the news that Thames Water has received government approval for its Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP), which outlines its strategy to ensure a sustainable water supply for the Southeast of England over the next 50 years.

The plan includes two major infrastructure projects: the South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO, also known as the Abingdon Reservoir) and the Teddington Direct River Abstraction project. In addition to these infrastructure projects, Thames Water will implement measures to reduce water leakage and reduce customer demand, such as installing smart meters and promoting water conservation.

The next major step for Thames Water is to apply for a Development Consent Order (DCO) – required for the construction of the SESRO.

Local opposition to the project remains strong. The Group Against Reservoir Development (GARD) has vowed to continue fighting the plans until the DCO goes for approval, and may seek a judicial review.

The Vale of White Horse District Council (VWHDC) has expressed disappointment that the Secretary of State for the environment has not taken up their offer of a meeting to address their concerns. Councillor Bethia Thomas, the VWHDC leader, said ‘We remain opposed to these proposals, and this news makes taking a stand against this much more challenging, but we will continue to do what is within our limited power.’