Neighbours fear reservoir size as it takes shape

Neighbours of a new reservoir have raised concerns about its height part-way through construction.

Northumbrian Water is building a 9.5-million-gallon (43-million-litre) compound close to houses in Springwell Village in Washington, Sunderland.

Residents said they had been told it would be "underground" but now fear it will be an eyesore as its roof, initially planned as grass, will instead be gravel.

The water firm said it was working "in line" with its planning permission from Sunderland City Council.

The reservoir, which is due to be up and running in 2025, is expected to serve more than 250,000 homes in South Tyneside and Wearside.

When it was initially approved in 2019, its top was due to be covered with grass but that planning condition was successfully changed in 2022 to allow gravel to be used instead.

Keith Nairn, who bought a property from Homes by Esh in neighbouring Mount Park in 2021, said he was "surprised" when work began on the reservoir in May 2023.

Mr Nairn, who claimed he would lose his views of landmarks including Durham Cathedral, said: "None of us had any inkling as to how big it was going to be."

He said Northumbrian Water said it would be "underground" but the structure protruded above the surface.

"Once they started building it, you could see it from afar, it's not underground in the true sense," Mr Nairn said.

He claimed plans suggesting the walls of the structure would be 26ft (8m) tall were "vague", as he could not determine where they would start from and therefore how they would appear from his house.

Residents also complained an artist's impression of the completed structure, which showed looking like a hill above a field, did not depict the view from their homes.

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Angela Silk, of the Springwell Village Residents Association (SVRA), which objected to the plans, said several footpaths and roads had been temporarily closed and trees and hedgerows removed, which was "horrendous".

She said the structure was "far from [being] underground" and was "absolutely huge".

Ms Silk also said it was "very sad" to lose "such a vast area" of countryside, adding: "It's an area of beauty and it's all being lost."

Homes by Esh said buyers of its houses were "made aware" of the reservoir scheme and it had referred customers to Northumbrian Water to get full information, while the planning applications were available for viewing online.

A spokesman for Northumbrian Water said the firm did "appreciate how big an impact" a project of the reservoir's size could have on nearby homes and the company was "grateful" for their "patience and understanding".

He said the company had continually liaised with residents and the area's greenery would be restored along with "additional enhancements" to improve local habitats.

Sunderland City Council said it took "all comments into account" when determining the plan and "due process" was followed in approving it.

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