Portsmouth starts public consultation on new reservoir plan

Portsmouth Water today kicks off a public consultation on its Havant Thicket reservoir, with views to be fed into the planning application it will submit later this year.

The company is sharing information on the reservoir’s design, a visitor centre, access road and a new pipeline to enable the reservoir to be filled and emptied as well as its plans to enhance the environment and support wildlife through the scheme. It has switched traditional consultation methods for a virtual exhibition with videos, web-based comment boards and interactive mock-ups of the reservoir, as well as running live webinars with the project team. Printed materials are also available.

Portsmouth Water’s chief executive, Bob Taylor, said: “We’ve thought carefully about going ahead with the consultation at this time. However, given the pressing need to secure vital water supplies for the South East and to take timely action to protect our precious chalk streams, we felt it was important to do so. In fact, the Covid 19 situation has challenged us to be even more innovative and imaginative in the ways we bring our plans and the consultation alive to people at home, so we can reach as many of you as possible.”