CPRE strongly opposes the proposed Upper Thames Reservoir near Abingdon, believing that Thames Water should concentrate on reducing leakage, improving water conservation and identifying more environmentally sustainable solutions to future water supply.

In April 2007, the Environment Agency published regulations that meant that Thames Water had to begin the examination of the case for the reservoir again and the whole planning process was delayed by at least two years.

Thames Water published its draft Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) in May 2008.

Following consultations and consideration of Thames Water’s Statement of Response, on 5 August 2009 it was announced that the Secretary of State had called for a public inquiry into the draft Water Resources Management Plan.

In September 2009 a revised draft Water Resources Management Plan was published by Thames Water to address a number of issues raised in the first draft and provide additional information.

On 8 December 2009 DEFRA published details of the Public Inquiry, which will be held from 15th June to 16th July, 2010.

CPRE Oxfordshire will be presenting its case against the reservoir proposals, in conjunction with CPRE Kent as part of a wider South-East case. GARD - the group formed to fight the reservoir - will also be presenting its case at the inquiry.

Latest News:

2010:

August 19: Public Inquiry into Thames Water's proposed reservoir concludes.

The closing submissions to the two-month public inquiry into Thames Water's plans for the South East for the next 25 years, including a proposed reservoir near Abingdon, concluded on 19 August.

CPRE Oxfordshire, which was represented at the Public Inquiry, and which made a closing submission, hopes that the Environment Secretary will rule out the reservoir.

GARD Chairman, Nick Thompson told the Oxford Times: "The inquiry has been thorough and fair and the opposition to the reservoir has been extremely strong."

The Planning Inspector's decision is expected later this year.

See: CPRE's closing submission here.

July 16th: Presentation of evidence on Abingdon reservoir concludes at Public Inquiry.

All parties including CPRE have now given their evidence and the month-long inquiry into Thames Water's draft Water Resources Management Plan has been adjourned until 16/17/18 August when Closing Submissions will be made.

CPRE, GARD - the Group Against Reservoir Development, Oxfordshire County Council and the Vale of White Horse District (who are offering a combined case), and the Environment Agency have all argued that the draft TW Management Plan is flawed in a large number of respects and have raised many key questions about TW’s case for the Reservoir and the huge environmental damage which it will cause to this part of Oxfordshire. Other options for water supply have been identified which could be much more flexible to future circumstances and much less costly in environmental and financial terms.

The CPRE team of four presented their evidence on Wed 14 August, taking nearly four hours, including vigorous cross examination from Thames Water’s counsel.

The CPRE team comprised: Christine Drury of CPRE Kent who was coordinating the case and three witnesses, Graham Warren of CPRE Kent on Water issues, Bruce Tremayne on Landscape/ Environment and George Lambrick on Archaeology/ Heritage, both of CPRE Oxon. George Lambrick also presented important technical points on the adequacy of TW’s environmental assessments.

GARD brought a very strong team with professional representation to the inquiry and put forward a compelling case against the reservoir and the TW Management Plan.

June 24 2010: CPRE to present its evidence at Public Inquiry into proposed Abingdon Reservoir on 13th July.

CPRE Oxfordshire and CPRE Kent will be presenting its joint evidence to the PI into Thames Water's draft Water Resources Management Plan, on 13th July, while GARD will present its Statement of Case on 7th July.

CPRE and GARD presented their opening statements on the first day of the Inquiry.

The Inquiry is to conclude on 16th July.

See: CPRE Opening Statement here.
See: CPRE South East Statement of Case here.
See: GARD Opening Statement here.
See: GARD Statement of Case here.

June 11 2010: Public Inquiry into proposed Abingdon Reservoir to begin in Oxford on Tuesday, 15th June.

The Public Inquiry into Thames Water's draft Water Resources Management Plan, which includes a proposal to build a huge reservoir on 5,000 acres of farmland near Abingdon, will begin in Oxford, on Tuesday 15th June.

CPRE Oxfordshire, which has for many years been opposing the proposed reservoir, on the grounds that it would result in major environment damage, will be appearing at the Inquiry, along with GARD - the Group against the Reservoir Development.

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Caroline Spelman, will make a decision on the plans after the Inquiry. If the Water Resources Management Plan is approved in its current form, then the need for the reservoir is effectively proven and Thames Water will continue to plan for it.

CPRE Oxfordshire hopes to persuade the Government Inspector chairing the Inquiry to conclude that Thames Water’s Abingdon reservoir is not needed.

What you can do

Please come along to the Oxford Conference Centre, Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1JD, on Tuesday, 15th June, at 9.30am, to join with other CPRE members for a press/tv photo, to show our opposition to the proposed reservoir. Call Helena Whall: on 07766 624990 for more details.

For more information about GARD see their website here.

March 17th: CPRE Oxforshire submits its Statement of Case to DEFRA in advance of the public inquiry into the Thames Water Resources Magement Plan, which is proposing a large reservoir near Abingdon.

CPRE South East has submitted a single joint submission from CPRE Oxfordshire and CPRE Kent, both Parties to the Public Inquiry to be held in the summer. CPRE Oxfordshire and CPRE Kent are both members of the regional entity CPRE South East Region group, and both wish the Inquiry to be able to take note of the strong case for a regional perspective in resolving the current problems with the Thames Water Draft Water Resources Management.

Bruce Tremayne of CPRE Oxfordshire be the Witness on Landscape and Environment matters, and Graham Warren CPRE Kent will be the Witness on Water matters.

CPRE’s objective is to persuade the Government Inspector chairing the Inquiry to conclude that Thames Water’s Abingdon reservoir is not needed.

The next steps in the public inquiry process are the publication of stakeholders' Statement of Case in early March and the pre-inquiry meeting on 14th April 2010.

The Public Inquiry will start at 10.00am on 15th June 2010 and will be held at the Conference Centre Oxford (CANTAY HOUSE, Park End St. Oxford OX1 1JD). It is currently estimated to last 10-12 working days. It will be chaired by the Government appointed Inspector, Ms Wendy Burden.

The Group Against Reservoir Development (GARD) - will also be submitting its Statement of Case to DEFRA.

The Vale of White Horse (VoWH) District Council has submitted evidence to this inquiry jointly with Oxfordshire County Council (OCC).

See: CPRE South East Statement of Case here.
See: GARD Statement of Case here.
See: Thames Water's Statement of Case here (25 February).
See: Thames Water's Statement of Common Ground with Environment Agency here (2 February).
See: VoWH and OCC Statement of Case here.
For more information about TW's public inquiry and timetable see here.

January: Thames Water and the Environment Agency publish their Statements of Case for the public Inquiry.

Thames Water and the Environment Agency have published their Statements of Case for the public Inquiry on the Thames Water draft Water Resources Management Plan, to be held between 7 June and 8 July.

As a stakeholder, CPRE Oxon will be appearing at the Public Inquiry and we will be submitting our Statement of Case by 16 March. We will be presenting our case against the reservoir proposals, in conjunction with CPRE Kent as part of a wider South-East case.

GARD - the group formed to fight the reservoir - will also be presenting their case agaisnt the reservoir at the inquiry.

Thames Water's Statement of Case can be found here.
The Environment Agency's Statement of Case can be found here.

2009:

December 8th: DEFRA publishes details of the public inquiry, which will be held in June/July 2010.
September 18th: Thames Water publishes its revised draft Water Resources Management Plan.
August 5th: The Secretary of State has called for a public inquiry into Thames Water’s draft Water Resources Management Plan.
March 2nd: Thames Water issues its Statement of Response to Defra.
February 10th: Thames Water to submit its Statement of Response to Defra by Friday 27 February.

December 8th: DEFRA publishes details of the public inquiry, which will be held in June/July 2010.

On December 8th, DEFRA wrote to all the stakeholders identified as main parties inviting them to participate in the public inquiry.

The inquiry is expected to take place during the period 7 June 2010 to 8 July 2010.

CPRE Oxfordshire has confirmed it will be presenting its case against the reservoir proposals, probably in conjunction with CPRE Kent as part of a wider South-East case.

It is understood that GARD - the group formed to fight the reservoir - will also be presenting their case at the inquiry.

See: Oxford Mail (21 December).

September 18th: Thames Water publishes its revised draft Water Resources Management Plan.

Thames Water's revised draft Water Resources Management Plan was published on 18 September 2009.

This is an updated version of the draft plan originally published in May 2008. The resed draft plan takes into account the views of stakeholders, as set out in Thames Water's Statement of Response.

The revised draft plan is available to download on Thames Water's website here.

August 5th: The Secretary of State has called for a public inquiry into Thames Water's draft Water Resources Management Plan.

CPRE is delighted to learn that the Secretary of State has called for a public inquiry into the draft Water Resources Management Plan; having given consideration to the Plan, the representations made in respect of the draft and the water company’s statement of response to those representations. CPRE has for some time now been urging the Secretary of State to call an inquiry on the basis of the many complexities involved with the proposed scheme to build a huge reservoir near Abingdon, not least its damaging effect on the local landscape.

In the reasons given for calling for an inquiry the Secretary of State said Thames Water's statement of response and additional information does not provide adequate justification for its preferred options or the decision process in reaching that preferred programme of options.

The Secretary of State goes on to say Thames Water does not provide enough detail on some of the changes made in its plan, especially in relation to household demand. In addition, the Secretary of State says that some directions and representations still remain unaddressed. The significant unaddressed representations are concerned mainly with the options appraisal and Thames Water's preferred programme. These issues are set out in more detail in the annex to the decision letter (see below), which constitutes the clear statement of what, from the information before it, Defra considers to be the key issues in calling for an inquiry.

The inquiry is expected to be held early in 2010, approximately 22 weeks after the announcement.

All 21 English water companies consulted on their plans last summer. Ten of the companies will now be able to finalise their plans for publication:

Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water;
Bristol Water;
Veolia Water Southeast Limited (previously Folkestone and Dover Water Ltd);
Southern Water;
South Staffordshire Water;
South West Water;
Sutton and East Surrey Water;
Veolia Water East Limited (previously Tendring Hundred Water Services Ltd);
United Utilities; and
Yorkshire Water.

A further eight have been asked to provide some additional information in support of their proposal before the Secretary of State reaches a decision. They are:

Anglian Water;
Cambridge Water;
Cholderton and District Water;
Essex and Suffolk Water;
Northumbrian Water;
Severn Trent Water;
Veolia Water Three Valleys (previously Three Valleys Water plc); and
Wessex Water.

The Secretary of State has concluded that alongside Thames Water, the plans prepared by South East Water and Portsmouth Water should be given further consideration in public. For that reason he has called for a public inquiry into Thames Water’s and South East Water’s plans and a public hearing on Portsmouth Water’s plan.

See: a copy of the decision letter and guidance for stakeholders to help them take part in the inquiry process. (For clarification, please note that we are at the para 4 stage of the guidance, as of August 2009).
See: Defra press release (3 August).
See: Thames Water's response.

March 2nd: Thames Water issues its Statement of Response to Defra.

Thames Water has today (March 2nd) issued its Statement of Response to Defra on the consultation on its draft Water Resources Management Plan.

Thames Water’s Statement of Response summarises the responses received during the 16-week public consultation, which closed on 27 August 2008, and explains how the comments have been considered in the revised draft Plan. It has been submitted to the Secretary of State and unless it is determined that further scrutiny of the Plan is necessary, it will be published and implemented from April 2010.

CPRE Oxfordshire was invited to take part in the public consultation and responded in August 2008 (see below).

Thames Water is downscaling the size of its proposed reservoir near Abingdon and is putting back its start date by five years.

The recession and a number of other factors has prompted the water company to announce today that it did not expect the reservoir to be ready to use until 2026.

Thames Water’s announcement today that it needs to make some ‘important revisions’ to its draft Water Resources Management Plan has been welcomed by CPRE Oxfordshire. However, it is disappointed that Thames Water still sees the need for a ‘major new reservoir’, albeit at a reduced size, which will have a dramatic impact on Oxfordshire’s landscape.

See Thames Water's Statement of Response.
CPRE Oxfordshire press release.
Listen to CPRE Oxfordshire interview with Bill Heine on BBC Radio Oxford.
GARD press release.
Listen to GARD interview with Bill Heine on BBC Radio Oxford.
Vale of White Horse press release.
See Oxford Times (2 October).

February 10th: Thames Water to submit its Statement of Response to Defra by Friday 27 February.

Thames Water is due to submit its response to the consultation on its draft Water Resources Management Plan by Friday 27 February.

TW will be holding two briefing events in early March, these are designed to let consultees know how the Plan has developed, how TW has considered the views of its stakeholders and customers and it will explain the next steps in the Water Resources Management planning process.

As a consultee, CPRE Oxon has been invited to attend the breifing event to be held in Abingdon on 5 March.

Past News:

2008:

December 8th: "The case (for the reservoir) is very far from proved" says Lord Chris Smith, Chairman of the Environment Agency.
November 13th: Ed Vaisey MP holds a debate in parliament on the proposed reservoir near Abingdon.
November 3rd: Thames Water's Statement of Response postponed until February 2009.
August 27th: CPRE Oxfordshire responds to Thames Water's consultation on dWRMP.
June: GARD commissions an expert on water resources to scrutinise Thames Water's dWRMP.
May: Thames Water publishes its draft Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP)

2008:

December 8th: "The case (for the reservoir) is very far from proved" says Lord Chris Smith, Chairman of Environment Agency.

Drayton Village Hall was at capacity on the evening of Friday December 5th, as local residents and other interested parties pressed Chris Smith for assurances that the EA would listen to their concerns. He allayed some of their fears when he said: "the case (for the reservoir) is very far from proved." He went on to say that if there is any chance of increased flooding with the building of the reservoir, the EA will "absolutely oppose the reservoir". He assauged the fears of local farmers and the CPRE when he said: "the presumption (of the EA) is to maintain as much agricultural land as possible" and that the EA will have to be convinced that "there is no alternative to losing this prime agricultural land". Chris Smith concluded his remarks by saying that the EA would support a public enquiry only as a "last resort".

The public meeting was hosted by Ed Vaizey, MP for Wantage and presentations were given by representatives from the Group against Reservoir Development (GARD), the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), the National Farmers Union (NFU) and the Hanney Flood Group.

In its press release issued on 8th December, GARD said: "Our alternatives to meet the forecast increase in water usage, particularly in London, are better environmentally, more sustainable, and will cost water users much less than Thames Water's massive reservoir".

November 13th: Ed Vaisey MP holds a debate in parliament on the proposed reservoir near Abingdon.

Ed Vaisey, MP for Wantage, secured a debate in Parliament for 13 November to discuss the propsed reservoir near Abingdon. The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Jane Kennedy, responded. Ed Vaisey called for a Public Inquiry into Thames Water's plans.

See: House of Commons Debate 13 November.
See: Ed Vaisey's Debate.

November 3rd: Thames Water's Statement of Response postponed until February 2009

CPRE was led to believe that the 16-week public consultation on the draft Water Resources Management Plan, which closed on 27 August, would be followed by a Statement of Response to all the comments made during the consultation, in accordance with Defra's Water Resources Management Plan Direction (England) 2008. We expected this on 5 November.

However, on 3 November, Thames Water announced that an independent summary report of the responses received to the public consultation on Thames Water’s draft Water Resources Management Plan has been made available, but that the Statement of Response will not be published until February 2009.

The Statement will outline how comments have been taken into account in the revised draft Water Resources Management Plan, to be submitted to Defra in February 2009. The Statement of Response will be made available to all those who participated in the consultation.

Subject to approval by the Secretary of State, the final Plan will be published in July 2009.

CPRE, and many others including Oxfordshire County Council, will be very disturbed if Hilary Benn agrees to Thames Water's plans without calling for a Public Inquiry given the complexities involved. CPRE will do all it can to ensure a Public Inquiry takes place.

All comments made during the consultation can be viewed at: http://www.thameswaterconsult.co.uk.

August 27th: CPRE Oxfordshire responds to Thames Water's consultation on dWRMP

CPRE Oxfordshire has responded to Thames Water's consultation on its draft Water Resources Management Plan. It raises serious doubts over the case for a giant reservoir near Abingdon, and calls for a public enquiry.

See: CPRE Oxon's response.
See: GARD's response and Binnie Report.
See: Oxfordshire County Council's response.
See: Vale of White Horse District Council response.
See: Environment Agency response.
See: Ofwat response.
See: Oxford Mail, 4 September 2008.

June 2008: GARD commissions an expert on water resources to scrutinise Thames Water's dWRMP.

The Group Against Reservoir Development (GARD) has commissioned an expert on water resources to bring Thames Water's latest report under the spotlight. It raises serious doubts over the case for a giant reservoir between Wantage and Abingdon.

The company's 900-page Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) published in May, predicts water will start running short in six years' time, unless water-saving schemes are put in place alongside the £800 million reservoir, planned for 2021.

But in a 60-page analysis, retired professor Chris Binnie, claims Thames Water has not adequately justified the need. He said its arguments and figures had serious limitations resulting in conclusions which were not ‘robust’. The Campaign to Protect Rural England, Oxfordshire, contributed significantly to the consultation.

Summary of the Appraisal by GARD of the draft Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP).
See also GARD's diagrammatic and explanatory details.

May 2008: Thames Water publishes its draft Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP).

On May 7 2008, Thames Water published its draft Water Resources Mangagement Plan (WRMP) 'Water - planning for the furture', setting out the water company's plans to manage water supply and demand over the 25 year period from 2010 to 2035. The draft Plan sets out how Thames Water plans to ensure there will be sufficient water available to meet its customers’ needs over the next 25 years. New resources such as the reservoir proposed for the Upper Thames region in Oxfordshire will be 'essential' said Thames Water Chief Executive David Owens in a press release 'Your water, your future' issued on the same day.

Public Consultation

The 16-week public consultation was launched on May 7 and comments on the draft Plan are invited online. The consultation is web based and is being facilitated by an independent company at: http://www.thameswaterconsult.co.uk.

You can register now for the online consultation, and the plan will be available to view from 7 May. All comments must be received by 27 August 2008. Thames Water will also be holding exhibitions in the Abingdon area throughout May and June, for further information on dates and venues go to: http://www.thameswater.co.uk/utmrd or email: utmrd@thameswater.co.uk

The Environment Agency and Ofwat will make representations to the Secretary of State at the end of the consultation period. The final plan will be published in 2009.

CPRE Oxfordshire will be taking part in the consultation process and will be vociferously opposing the reservoir.

2007:

October 2006: Vale of White Horse District Council says it is still waiting for answers from Thames Water
September 2006: A Water Resource Strategy for the South East. CPRE South East issues a comprehensive study of water supply in the South East. It calls for the government to recognise the environmental limits on water supply and for the water industry to increase water efficiency, including reuse and recycling of water. New reservoirs are not part of the solution.
September 2006: Thames Water invites views on its draft 25-year plan for a sustainable future.
October 2006: CPRE calls for Thames Water to adopt "repair, reduce and recycle" for its 25 year strategy.
April 2006: Reservoir plans delayed for at least two years.

2006:

December 2006: CPRE statements to the Examination in Public of the South East Plan on water.
December 2006:Thames Water statement to the Examination in Public of the South East Plan.
November 2006: Support leaking away: CPRE Press Release.
November 2006: What a Waste! CPRE press release.
November 2006: CPRE Oxfordshire submission to Stage 1 of the Thames Water consultation.
October 2006: Oxfordshire County Council takes a stance on the reservoir: "the need is not proven".
- OCC cabinet paper on the reservoir
- OCC response to Stage 1 of the Thames Water consultation
Summer 2006: Vale of White Horse Leader Jerry Patterson questions the case for the reservoir (SEERA Voice).

The Reservoir Proposal

Lower rainfall, increased consumer consumption, housing and industrial growth and large-scale leakage are all contributing to a growing water shortage in the southeast.

One option to alleviate the shortage is a proposal for a large new reservoir in the Steventon and Hanney area, near Abingdon. The reservoir would store approximately 150 billion litres (equal to 33 billion gallons), an area of about 10 sq km. The chosen site is flat clay vale, so the water will need to be contained by an embankment; the maximum height will be 25 metres (80 feet) in height and would only occur opposite Marcham. This development will have a major impact on the local landscape and surrounding villages. (Thames Water call the scheme the Upper Thames Major Resource Development or UTMRD.)

Plan of proposed reservoir		Perspective of proposed reservoir

Click for larger image. Source: Thames Water.		Click for larger image. Source: Thames Water (perspective corrected to give a more realistic idea of the height of the embankments).

The reservoir embankment near Steventon will be about 15 metres high, ie. the same height as the nearby church. The tower is shown against the cross-section of the embankment.

CPRE's Position on the Reservoir

Bruce Tremayne, Chairman of CPRE Oxfordshire, criticises the rush to construct a reservoir before other options have been exhausted.

We do face a growing water shortage in the South East. But before we disrupt and destroy so much of Oxfordshire's landscape, we must save water rather than waste it. We argue that the priority is to change the landscape of peoples' minds rather than the landscape of Oxfordshire. Every householder should think about how to use less water and Thames Water must deliver on better management of existing supplies before it pushes ahead with giant engineering proposals which impact on cherished landscapes.

We are calling for a series of actions by Thames Water, the Environmental Agency, Ofwat and the public.

Reduce water leakage

Rates of water loss in the Thames area are too high. In the year to March 2007, Thames Water lost 790 million litres a day through leakage. This is the equivalent of about 235 litres for every property—much more than the household consumption of 154 litres a day (source: Thames Water). Ofwat calls for a reduction of leakage to 725 million litres a day by 2010.

It will be costly to replace decayed supply systems, many of which are more than a century old. But there can be no purpose in the expensive construction of a new source of supply only to waste the product through leakage. A proposal for an Upper Thames Reservoir should not be entertained until leakage is significantly reduced at least to the levels required by Ofwat in 2010 and we would wish to see tough targets for reduction of leakage after 2010.

Encourage lower water usage

There is an urgent need for research into water usage in the region and incentives for reduction of use. At a minimum, we call for metering of all consumers in the southeast before plans for the reservoir are considered. (Thames Water installed meters in just 0.32% of households in its area in 2003/04). All new houses need to be built to ensure minimum water usage.

Pursue alternative options

All available options to the reservoir need to be considered including a cluster of smaller storage areas and replenishment of aquifers. Landscape and environmental considerations must take equal place with financial factors in any review of these proposals.

Reduce personal usage

Regardless of the Thames Water proposal, Southeast England is short of water. You can help by reducing your own water consumption (and your water bills):

Ask Thames Water to install a water meter, its free: ring their Customer Centre on: 0845 9200 888
Reduce your household use: see the Thames Water's top ten water-saving tips.
And if you are a school teacher or parent, you’ll find useful information for children on the Water in Schools and Wateraid websites.

The Environment Agency on the Reservoir

The Environment Agency believes that Thames Water has not fully answered the following three questions:

A. How much water does it need to supply customers in the future?
B. Which measures would best meet or manage future demand for water?
C. If a reservoir is needed where might it be located?

It is calling for these to be answered in sequence and the main focus of its work remains on Question A.

Local Opposition

There is strong local opposition to the scheme led by the Group Against Reservoir Development (GARD).

Contact GARD.

GARD banner

Further information

A Water Resource Strategy for the South East. CPRE South East issues a comprehensive study of water supply in the South East (September 2007).
The Water Guide to UK water industry and the companies operating within it.