Phase one consultation

Our phase one consultation took place from 12 October until 21 December 2022

We have received really valuable feedback from local people and stakeholders and want to thank everyone for taking part in the consultation.

We understand the effect on those impacted by our proposals including homeowners, landowners and the nearby community. We will continue to engage closely with everyone as the project develops.

During our phase one consultation, we asked for feedback on:

• the pink area we have identified for the reservoir and its embankments
• the grey area we have identified for supporting infrastructure and during construction. This is also where we could include wildlife and environmental areas, spaces for leisure and recreation, education facilities and others
• the very early concept design for the reservoir and the features you would like to be considered in the design of the reservoir as it’s developed.

View latest proposals

How your views will help shape our plans

It’s clear people want us to think carefully about effects on place and communities, roads and transport, agriculture and the local economy, and the natural environment. These are important issues for us too.

Many people are also positive about the opportunities the reservoir could bring and want to see areas for recreation, wildlife, and places to get out and explore.

It’s too early to know exactly how we will respond to all the feedback, but your comments are a key part of developing the reservoir to keep impacts as low as possible, and create benefits for people and nature.

However, there are some aspects not open to influence. That’s because they cannot be shaped for technical reasons, such as safety and engineering requirements, or because they have been and continue to be established and consulted on through other processes. This includes:

• The project’s need case (set by the Water Resources Management Plan process)
• The capacity of the reservoir (set by the Water Resources Management Plan process)

You can find out more about our Water Resources Management Plans here.

What happens next?

All of the feedback we received has now been reviewed and recorded.

So everyone can see the key themes that arose from the consultation, and how we’ve considered them, we have published a summary of the feedback in our document library.

We’re now developing a design for the reservoir to give everyone a better idea of what it could look like – something many people have told us they’re keen to understand.

This will include proposed locations for the equipment we need, such as water treatment works and pumping station, and early thinking on opportunities for recreation and wildlife.

We’ll also be developing our plans for getting water to the reservoir and then from the reservoir to homes and businesses across Lincolnshire/Cambridge and our wider region.

People will get another opportunity to have their say on our proposals in the next consultation in 2024.