Reservoir could be up and running within a decade

A major new reservoir could be up and running within 10 years, according to an update from Anglian Water.

The Fens Reservoir, planned between Chatteris and Doddington in Cambridgeshire, would supply water to 250,000 homes in the East of England.

The project is currently in the planning stages, with a fourth public consultation scheduled before developers seek final government approval.

Grant Tuffs, the senior policy and public affairs lead for Anglian Water, told a meeting of Fenland District Council on Monday there would be a "long construction period" before the reservoir supplies homes.

He said: "Ten years from now you should have a reservoir operational, fingers crossed."

When sharing an updated timeline for the project, he said a fourth and final public consultation would take place next year.

Anglian Water and Cambridge Water are expected to submit their joint application to the Planning Inspectorate in 2028, before a government decision in 2029.

Construction could begin as early as 2030.

Anglian Water said the project would create habitats for wildlife, including wetlands, as well as recreational space for visitors.

The latest consultation, carried out late last year, had 438 responses.

The main concerns raised related to the impact of traffic on surrounding roads, and the safety of junctions during and after construction.

Tuffs said the reservoir would take two or more years to fill, depending on rainfall.

"It'll take probably a couple of winters at least to fill the reservoir," he said.

"We're not going to be pumping water out of groundwater to supply, it'll be surface water and rainwater that feeds that reservoir."

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