In our Summer 2024 Consultation and Spring 2025 Consultation, we outlined our proposal for tunnelled underground pipelines between the proposed Water Recycling Plant and Havant Thicket Reservoir. We presented this as our ‘backup option’ and made clear that it would only be progressed in the event that Portsmouth Water was unable to secure planning approval for its own pipelines between Bedhampton Springs and the reservoir.
On 12 May 2025, Havant Borough Council approved Portsmouth Water’s planning application for its new pipelines between Bedhampton Springs and Havant Thicket Reservoir. These pipelines are needed by Portsmouth Water to enable the filling and abstraction of spring water from the new reservoir.
In our Summer 2024 Consultation, these pipelines formed part of our ‘preferred option’ for transferring water between the Water Recycling Plant and Havant Thicket Reservoir. As consented, Portsmouth Water’s pipelines cannot be used for the transfer of recycled water. In order for us to use them for this purpose, we would need consent to do so as part of a successful DCO application.
With the approval of Portsmouth Water’s pipelines, there is no longer a need for us to separately progress our ‘backup option’ and hence we will not be developing this proposal any further as part of our DCO application. This will mean less disruption to the environment and local communities.
The conceptual diagram below, taken from our Summer 2024 Consultation Brochure, now highlights the tunnelled underground pipelines that we will not be progressing any further (marked with a red cross).
We are still proposing to install tunnelled pipelines between the Water Recycling Plant and Bedhampton Springs in order to connect into Portsmouth Water’s consented pipelines. These pipelines between the Water Recycling Plant and Bedhampton Springs were set out as part of our ‘preferred option’ and will be included in our DCO application.
The diagrams below illustrate how our draft Order Limits for the Project (often referred to as the red line boundary) have now been updated to show the removal of our backup option. In the diagram ‘Without backup option’, we still need to include Portsmouth Water’s pipelines within our draft Order Limits as we will seek powers through our DCO application to use the pipelines for transferring recycled water to Havant Thicket Reservoir and transferring reservoir water back to the Water Recycling Plant site, prior to onward transfer to Otterbourne Water Supply Works.
