• Thames Water is encouraging customers, communities and stakeholders to have their say on plans for a proposed new reservoir near Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
• The first community engagement event commences on Thursday 27 June in Sutton Courtenay.
• For the first time, Thames Water will be using virtual reality to present its vision for the reservoir to those attending the community events.
• The company is hosting seven events throughout June and July with experts on hand to answer customers, community and stakeholder questions.
• The 12-week public consultation will close on Wednesday, 28 August 2024.
• The opportunity to comment on Thames Water’s latest design proposals for a new reservoir in Oxfordshire is already proving popular, with over 150 responses received in the first three weeks.

The UK’s largest water company launched a public consultation on 5 June 2024, as it invites local communities with an interest in the proposals, to help influence the next stage in the design process.

The 12-week non-statutory public consultation is supported by a series of community events, which will begin this Thursday 27 June at Sutton Courtenay Village Hall. For the first time, Thames Water’s Strategic Resource Options (SRO) team, which is focused on developing major new infrastructure projects to tackle the risk of drought, will be showcasing the vision for the reservoir using virtual reality (VR).

The VR experience will enable those attending to try on a specialist a headset and navigate their way around different sections of the reservoir using hand operated controls. The VR system has been developed by Atkins in response to feedback from local residents who wanted a greater understanding of what the reservoir could look like, and its alignment to the existing landscape.

Leonie Dubois, Thames Water’s Head of Engagement, Land and Consents said: "We’re absolutely delighted with the level of response we’ve already received to our public consultation. Local communities are certainly alive to the climate change challenge and recognise that we need to invest in more new reservoirs to support future growth. “Naturally, we’ve heard from people with concerns too, and I’d encourage them to come and see us when we visit towns and villages in Oxfordshire over the next four weeks. The opportunity for two-way conversation is an important part of the consultation process, and we genuinely want to hear people’s views and hopefully help to alleviate their concerns."

Last week, Thames Water’s SRO team confirmed the appointment of its new technical partner for the reservoir known as SESRO (South East Strategic Reservoir Option). The Arup Binnies joint venture will work alongside the SRO team to deliver technical services in engineering design, environmental assessment, planning, and land access and acquisition. Representatives from the joint venture team will be in attendance at the community events, supporting conversations with local communities and sharing their expertise in the design and construction of major water resource projects.

The community event programme is also proving popular, with almost 400 people having registered to attend the events so far. Events will be held on the following dates and delegates are encouraged to select and register for their preferred event in advance.

• Thursday 27 June, 2pm to 8pm, Sutton Courtenay Village Hall, Sutton Courtenay
• Saturday 29 June, 10am to 4pm, Royal British Legion, East Hanney
• Monday 1 July, 11am to 5pm, Abingdon Guildhall, Abingdon
• Friday 5 July, 11am to 5pm, Loyd Lindsay Rooms, Wantage
• Tuesday 9 July, 2pm to 8pm, Didcot Civic Hall, Didcot
• Monday 15 July, 2pm to 8pm, Milton Hill House, Steventon
• Thursday 18 July, 2pm to 8pm, Marcham Centre, Marcham

The 12-week public consultation will close on Wednesday, 28 August 2024. All consultation responses will be considered, and feedback will help to inform future design stages. Local communities and stakeholders will be invited to have their say on the revised proposals at a second public consultation in 2025.

SESRO will play a crucial role in safeguarding the South East’s future water supply. Serving Thames Water, Southern Water and Affinity Water customers, it will produce up to 270 million litres of water per day that will be transported across the region, providing additional water supplies to 15 million people.

For more information about SESRO, and the public consultation, click or visit our website.