Step forward in plans to build new reservoir

Plans for a reservoir in The Fens that would supply 250,000 homes have been scrutinised in a new report with several local authorities asking for more detail.

The reservoir, just north of Chatteris in Cambridgeshire, would hold up to 50,000,000,000 litres of water.

The government's Planning Inspectorate has published its scoping opinion - a document forming part of the planning process - on the proposed project.

Anglian Water, which has teamed up with Cambridge Water for the project, said it was now considering the report.

Anglian Water and Cambridge Water said the reservoir would help them to reduce reliance on "environmentally sensitive" rivers and underground aquifers, and provide recreational opportunities as well.

It reservoir would have a surface area of approximately five sq km (two square miles).

There would be associated infrastructure to capture and transfer water in the wider Fens area.

Water is proposed to be abstracted and transferred to the reservoir from the Middle Level System of drains and waterways, the Ouse Washes, the River Great Ouse near Bluntisham, and the River Nene at Peterborough.

Treated water would be sent to Bluntisham and Madingley in Cambridgeshire, and to Bexwell, near Downham Market in Norfolk.

A scoping opinion is a document where the Planning Inspectorate outlines what details are needed by applicants when they submit an environmental statement, which goes alongside an application for development consent.

Cambridge Water and Anglian Water's second consultation on the project closed in August and it is currently going through the pre-application stage with the government agency.

The document asked the two water companies to provide details of the design, size and location including "worst-case scenario" assessments.

Several local authorities and organisations highlighted concerns and questions about the project in the report.

Fenland District Council said there was "no mention" of how to get to the site without a car, pointing out its relatively isolated location.

The authority also said paid-for car parking could discourage poorer people from visiting the reservoir.

It added it was "disappointing" that it believed only a few construction jobs would be available for local people.

The Middle Level Commissioners (MLC) body, which manages water levels in The Fens, said the project's dependence on its infrastructure and operations could be a "significant risk".

The MLC said it was "already stretched far too thinly" and was under-resourced.

Peterborough City Council asked for more details about how open space at Tenterhill and Stanground would be affected, while South Cambridgeshire District Council highlighted the potential impact on "locally sensitive" landscapes caused by pipes and infrastructure going into a connection point near Madingley, on the outskirts of Cambridge.

"We are now considering the detail so that it can inform the assessments we will be undertaking as we continue to develop our proposals," an Anglian Water spokesperson said.

The next step of the process is for Anglian Water and Cambridge Water to send their application documents to the Planning Inspectorate, which is expected in the first quarter of 2026.

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