Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project

Welcome to our dedicated website for the Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project.

Project Overview

The Project would create a new source of water to supply homes and businesses in Hampshire, so less water needs to be taken from the county’s chalk stream rivers. Our proposal is to tap into the highly treated wastewater that we currently waste and use advanced treatment techniques to turn it into purified recycled water.

This approach, called water recycling, is widely used around the world and will enable us to take significantly less water from the environment - especially during a drought, when nature needs it most. The Project will transform the way we source, treat and supply water across Hampshire for many generations to come.

Creating a new, resilient and sustainable water supply will protect and enhance the county's rare and sensitive chalk streams, while maintaining supplies for our communities and the local economy.

Examination of our DCO application

From November 2026 to April 2027, a series of Project hearings will be held and led by the Examining Authority, a panel of Planning Inspectors appointed to examine our Development Consent Order (DCO) application. The Examination includes written submissions and hearings, enabling an Examining Authority to explore specific aspects of the application in more detail before making its recommendation to the Secretary of State. Interested Parties may also make written and oral representations as part of the Examination process.

The Preliminary Meeting is a procedural meeting that will consider matters such as the Examination timetable and arrangements for the Examination. The Preliminary Meeting and first set of hearings will take place at the Fareham Innovation Centre, Merlin House, 4 Meteor Way, Fareham, Lee-on-the-Solent, PO13 9FU, and will comprise:

• Preliminary Meeting at 10am, 11 November 2026
• Open Floor Hearing 1 at 2:30pm, 11 November 2026
• Issue Specific Hearing 1 on water environment at 10am, 12 November 2026

The hearings are open to members of the public to observe in person and online via a livestream. Additional hearings may be arranged by the Examining Authority during the Examination process.

If you would like to participate in a hearing, please follow the instructions set out by the Examining Authority in its Rule 6 letter.

You can find out more about the examination process on the Planning Inspectorate’s HWTWRP page: Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project - Project information.

You can view our examination hearing notice here.

Application accepted for examination

We submitted our Development Consent Order (DCO) application for the Project on 28 May 2026. It was then accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate, marking an important milestone for the Project.

Anyone could register as an Interested Party to submit representations, which would be considered during examination. The deadline for submitting representations was 11:59pm on 24 August 2026. All representations are published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.

You can view application documents and follow progress of the Project on the Planning Inspectorate’s project page: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/WA010002

Further information about the DCO process is available here: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/application-process/the-process

Further information on the Project can also be found here: https://www.southernwater.co.uk/about-us/our-plans/water-recycling/hampshire-water-transfer-and-water-recycling-project/

Our Spring 2025 Consultation

Our Spring 2025 Consultation ran from 5 March to 4 April 2025. We'd like to thank everyone for their feedback. We sought your views on updated environmental water quality information and proposed Project design refinements. Specifically, our Spring 2025 Consultation focused on:

• Predicted water quality impacts on the Havant Thicket Reservoir, connected downstream water bodies (including Riders Lane Stream, Hermitage Stream, and Langstone Harbour), and the Solent. Details of this can be found in our Environmental Water Quality Report.
• Proposed refinements to the design of the Project that take into account feedback from the Summer 2024 Consultation and on-going project development and stakeholder engagement, details of which can be found on our website and in the Consultation Information document.

Our Summer 2024 Consultation

Our Summer 2024 Consultation ran from 29 May to 23 July 2024. During this time, we actively sought feedback from community members on the following aspects of the Project:

• The Project overall
• The proposed pipeline routes
• The proposed water recycling plant and associated pumping stations
• The proposed sites for the above ground plant along the pipeline route
• The process we have undertaken to develop the Project up to this consultation
• The preliminary environmental and other impacts of the Project and initial proposals for mitigation.

The consultation was an opportunity to learn more about the Project and how it may affect you. We wanted to know what you thought about our proposals as we developed them further.

The consultation period ended at 11:59pm on July 23rd 2024. We'd like to thank everyone who came to one of our events, filled in a feedback form, or wrote us an email or letter.