Call for public inquiry into Thames Water reservoir plans

A petition against the planned reservoir has been signed by more than 3,600 people

There are growing calls for a public inquiry into the agreed plan for a large reservoir in Oxfordshire.

Environmental groups, the Vale of White Horse District Council and the MP for Didcot and Wantage, Olly Glover, all wrote to the government opposing the proposal.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed yesterday announced he had approved Thames Water's water resource management plan (WRMP) which includes the controversial "mega-reservoir".

Thames Water said its plans set out "actions and investment required to deliver a secure and sustainable water supply for the next 50 years and beyond".

The reservoir plan has been criticised by councillors, campaigners and canal users.

The campaigners previously requested a public inquiry into Thames Water's WRMP.

A petition has been started by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and the Group Against Reservoir Development (GARD) had been signed by more than 3,600 people.

GARD chairman Derek Stork said that "a cost of £2.3bn, quoted in 2022 and since subject to inflation, it is not the most cost-effective solution".

"The reservoir remains the least drought resilient, longest delivery-time, most environmentally damaging and disruptive 'solution' to the coming water shortages in the south-east," he added.

"Thames Water’s network leaks over 600 million litres of water per day, more than twice the maximum supply of this reservoir.

Mr Stork said the news of the approval would be "greeted with astonishment and deep resentment in the areas of South Oxfordshire".

"We are also astonished that the Secretary of State should allow a scheme to progress to the next stage only one week after a public consultation had closed and before results had been analysed," he said.

Mr Stork said that was "certainly not the end of the road" and they would continue the campaign "against this monstrosity".

He reminded that the reservoir needed final approval at Development Consent Order proceedings in 2026, and appealed for support in contesting the project.

'Filling the bath when the plughole’s open'

In his letter, Mr Glover, raised "serious concerns" about SESRO and cited "unresolved issues and significant public interest".

"There has also yet to be an Environmental Impact Assessment on the design," he said.

"This fully justifies the need for a full and transparent inquiry."

Mr Glover said he had "formally requested" a meeting with the government to make the case for an inquiry.

He added “Without first providing a sound plan for reducing the amount of water lost to leakage, the proposal to construct a mega-reservoir is just like filling the bath when the plughole’s open.”

Bethia Thomas, leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said she was "deeply disappointed" by the plans' approval by the Environment Secretary .

"I had hoped to arrange a meeting to call for the whole process to be paused – so the news this week regarding this decision is incredibly frustrating as we had wanted to put our case to him," she said.

Ms Thomas said the council remained "opposed" to the proposals and would continue to "urge water providers, regulators and government to listen to local voices and reject these plans”.

Last week Thames Water warned it will not survive unless it is allowed to increase water bills by almost 60% over a five-year period.

Its CEO Chris Weston said the WRMP approval was "a vital step as we work to secure future water supply for millions of people across the South East".

Thames Water has 60 days to make final updates to its plan before publishing it in October 2024.