Securing a sustainable water future for the South East
Source: gov.uk (2025-03-12)

Environment Secretary Steve Reed visited Havant Thicket reservoir, which will help future-proof water supply in the South East.

People in the South East will soon benefit from a more reliable and sustainable water supply with the construction of the Havant Thicket reservoir – the first reservoir to be built in the region since the 1970s.

Visiting the site near Havant, Hampshire, today (12 March), Environment Secretary Steve Reed highlighted the reservoir as a prime example of how £104 billion in private sector investment into water—the largest since privatisation—is driving forward major infrastructure projects and creating over 30,000 jobs across the country.

This is part of delivering on the government’s Plan for Change, which will support the infrastructure Britain needs to boost growth, construct 1.5 million new homes, and clean up our rivers, lakes, and seas for good.

By 2030 South East England is projected to face severe water stress due to population growth, climate change and environmental pressures. This could lead to shortfalls unless urgent action is taken to improve water efficiency and build new infrastructure, so projects like Havant Thicket, which will store 8.7 billion litres of water, are essential.

When full, the reservoir will supply an average of 21 million litres of water a day, enough water to supply an estimated 160,000 people.

The reservoir, which will be built on a grassland site in between Rowlands Castle, Leigh Park and Staunton Country Park is being developed by Portsmouth Water in collaboration with Southern Water, who is funding the project. As well as protecting some of Hampshire’s rare chalk streams, it will also provide a leisure facility for the local community.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said:

The UK faces a water shortage because we haven’t built a new reservoir in over 30 years – Havant Thicket is a crucial step in securing water for future generations.

Investment in vital infrastructure like reservoirs is crucial for economic growth and environmental protection – a cornerstone of our Plan for Change.

The reservoir builds on action taken by the Environment Agency to reduce the extraction of water from the Rivers Test and Itchen – protecting local wetlands.

The Environment Secretary’s visit to Havant Thicket is the latest in a series of visits that he and Water Minister Emma Hardy are making on a ‘Things Can Only Get Cleaner’ tour this week, to see where investment in water infrastructure will underpin the building of new homes, create jobs, and turbocharge local economies.

Transformative change is already well under way, driven by bold reforms and decisive action, including the ground-breaking Water (Special Measures) Act (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-law-to-ban-bonuses-for-polluting-water-bosses), which will ban bonuses for water executives who pollute, and the newly established Independent Water Commission (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/public-invited-to-have-say-on-water-sector-fit-for-the-future), tasked with overhauling the water sector to ensure accountability and sustainability from the ground up.