Portsmouth poised to begin Havant Thicket works

Portsmouth Water said work will begin immediately on the Havant Thicket reservoir, once final planning permission is received this month

The initial jobs will be to establish a site compound and then begin site clearance. The company stressed “significant measures” will be taken to ensure wildlife is not harmed and to carry out the tasks as in as environmentally sensitive a way as possible – including through working before the bird nesting season, by bringing ecologists on site, and commissioning specialist climbers to check individual trees are free of wildlife.

Chief executive, Bob Taylor, said: “This will be a landmark moment for the Havant Thicket Reservoir project. Many years of planning and a great deal of research has gone into this project, and I am delighted that work should soon be underway.”