Update – 28 May 2025

This year we’re continuing to shape our proposals for a new reservoir, and its connecting infrastructure, in the Cambridgeshire Fens. We’ll soon be starting the latest phase of surveys to understand more about the land we could be working on.

Consultation update

Since our phase two consultation closed in summer 2024, we’ve been considering the valuable feedback received as we progress our work in order for us to identify and assess any impacts and further develop our plans.

Having considered the feedback, it’s clear that people want us to think carefully about, and provide more information on, specific areas including construction impacts, and traffic and transport.

These are important issues for us too. We’re now planning to hold an additional phase of non-statutory consultation in the autumn, where we will provide an update on our proposals and more detailed information on these areas that we know are important.

You can view the updated project timeline here

Our upcoming survey work

We will shortly be starting our second phase of surveys to help inform our proposals as we develop them further.

Surveys will start in the coming weeks and continue until early autumn this year. They will involve small teams of staff attending various areas across the land we’ve identified for the main reservoir site and the land areas identified for our associated water infrastructure proposals.

The purpose of the surveys is to help us gather important information about the area and help us manage potential impacts, as well as informing our design. We would like to reassure you that these survey works are not a sign of construction work starting on the project.

We are still in early development phase, preparing to submit a planning application via the Development Consent Order (DCO) process.

Some of the surveys we are carrying out are non-intrusive. These involve a small team conducting site visits to understand more about any environmental factors within the site that might influence our designs for the reservoir, and how it would be built.

In other locations, we will also be carrying out ground investigations including boreholes and trial pits. These surveys will help us understand what land factors we need to consider for construction activity, including archaeology and water quality. Once in place, these ground investigations will be monitored and, where relevant, samples taken. When we have the information we need, we will reinstate the land that we’ve worked on.

To support our team while they carry out these surveys, we’ll be utilising the temporary works compound we’ve set up on land north of Chatteris, within the proposed reservoir boundary.

We have worked closely with the landowner near to the works temporary compound and we are in close liaison with Fenland District Council to make sure all the necessary planning permissions are in place.

Any disruption will be low-level, however you may see more people present in these areas, or slightly more traffic on the roads. We’ll be carrying out regular road cleans in order to avoid any increase in mud on the road.

If you’d like to find out more about the types of surveys we’re carrying out and what these involve, read our handy guide:

Read survey fact sheet

Staying informed

To keep up to date with the project, you can subscribe to our e-newsletter here.

If you have any questions about the surveys, please do write to us at info@fensreservoir.co.uk or call our hotline on 0800 915 2492.