Our commitments

Our vision for the project goes beyond simply creating a new public water supply. This is a significant investment in England’s water infrastructure and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver lasting benefits for people, place and environment.

Anglian Water and Cambridge Water are committed to going beyond simply creating a new public water supply.

This is a significant investment in England’s water infrastructure and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver lasting benefits for people, place and environment.

Where possible, we will consider ways to include features that local communities would value and use. We will explore opportunities that could deliver ecological benefits and promote sustainability. Through innovative design, the new reservoir will thoughtfully work with the landscape of the local area.

By including habitats such as wetlands and encouraging cultivation of diverse plant species, the reservoir could help nature thrive. It could also unlock new opportunities to teach future generations about how water shapes our lives and the environment.

The reservoir and its associated water infrastructure could also play a role in our separate wider plans for the region to support agriculture, promote peat restoration, manage river flooding, and other important needs.

Read more about our shared ambitions and wider commitments to securing future water supply in the region here.

Wider opportunities

This project represents a significant investment in England’s water infrastructure, and has the potential to contribute to lasting, wider benefits for the East of England.

Our vision for the reservoir has always been to create a place that would bring water, people and nature together. Our intention is to design a reservoir that local communities can be proud of, and that will encourage people to visit and enjoy its surroundings.

Many of Anglian Water’s existing reservoirs, such as Rutland Water and Grafham Water, are great places to explore, a haven for wildlife, and provide opportunities to learn and get closer to nature. Our hope is that the new reservoir can deliver benefits just like these.

Through our engagement with regional partners and stakeholders, it’s clear that others also want us to think about how the reservoir could help enable separate, wider opportunities beyond those we hope to create form the reservoir itself.

We’re exploring exactly that, through working together with others that share our ambition to boost environmental, social and economic prosperity in our unique region.