Phase two consultation

Our phase two consultation took place from 30 May until 9 August 2024.

We have received really valuable feedback from local people and stakeholders and want to thank everyone for taking part in the phase two consultation.

It’s clear people want us to think carefully about effects on place and communities, roads and transport, agriculture and the local economy, and the natural environment. These are important issues for us too.

Many people are also positive about our emerging design and vision for the reservoir, and the opportunities it could bring for people, nature and the environment.

During our phase two consultation, we asked for feedback on:

• Our emerging design for the reservoir (main site). This shows opportunities for recreational, wildlife, nature and other features.
• Our early-stage proposals for wider areas of land in the vicinity of the reservoir we could need for environmental mitigation and enhancement, construction, or wider uses.
• Areas we identified for the water sources infrastructure needed to transfer water from sources to the reservoir, and the water supply infrastructure needed to treat the water stored at the reservoir, and supply it to homes and businesses.
• Supporting information about our approach to a range of topics explained in our project fact sheets.

So everyone can see the key themes and issues from the consultation, we’ll prepare and publish a summary of the feedback shortly.

How your views will help shape our plans

We understand that our proposals will have an effect on landowners, homeowners, and nearby communities. We are committed to working with everyone as the project develops and want to hear all views on our emerging proposals. We will continue to engage closely with everyone as the project develops.

All feedback shared is being reviewed, recorded, and carefully considered as we develop our proposals further.

Your comments are a key part of developing the project to keep impacts as low as possible, and create benefits for people and nature.

There are some aspects that are not open to influence. That’s because they cannot be shaped by feedback for technical reasons, such as safety and engineering requirements, or because they have been and continue to be established and consulted on through the Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) process. This includes:

• The project’s need case
• The capacity of the reservoir
• The site of the reservoir
• The sources identified as having water available to fill the reservoir
• The areas identified for connecting the project to the existing supply network