Water for Life – Hampshire FAQs

The Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project is part of Southern Water’s wider Water for Life – Hampshire programme. This multi-million-pound investment will protect the county’s sensitive chalk stream habitats while ensuring there is sufficient water for public supply.

Some 85% of the world’s chalk streams (rivers fed by underground chalk aquifers) are in the UK – and two of the finest examples, the River Test and the River Itchen, are found in Hampshire. These rivers, along with their aquifers also supply water to more than 750,000 people across the county.

The programme is driven by reductions in the amount of water we can take from these rivers, which means we have a shortfall of some 192 million litres of water a day during a drought at a time when our population is growing and our climate is changing.

We need to find new sustainable sources of water to help keep taps and rivers flowing. The programme will transform the way we source, treat and supply water across the county.

A number of projects are included under the Water for Life – Hampshire programme, due to the size of the shortfall and the need to deploy a range of measures to resolve it. Our integrated approach comprises infrastructure investment, nature-based solutions, land management, significant reductions in leakage (by 15% by 2025, 40% by 2040 and 50% by 2050) and helping customers reduce their water use to 100 litres a day.

The shortfall in Hampshire is significant and driven by reductions in abstraction licences in order to protect the sensitive chalk streams of the River Test and the River Itchen during a drought. We have already agreed to reductions in the amount of water we can take from the rivers and signed a legally binding agreement with the Environment Agency to do so.

With further reductions expected – the shortfall could increase to around 192 million litres of water a day by 2030 during a severe drought (this is a drought expected to occur 1-in-200- years but which may occur more frequently, especially as our climate changes). Additionally, the level of drought resilience water companies across the country are required to prepare for will rise to 1-in-500-years in future Water Resources Management Plans.

The Project is a key component of the Water for Life – Hampshire programme as it will make up a significant element of the shortfall and enable us to take important steps towards securing water supplies for Hampshire and protecting sensitive chalk streams.

In early 2021 we consulted on plans for a desalination plant on the Solent at Fawley in the New Forest to turn seawater into drinking water and transfer this via a pipeline to our Testwood Water Supply Works. We estimated this plant could have provided up to 75 million litres of water per day.

This was originally our preferred strategic resource option to meet the water supply deficit in Hampshire identified in our current Water Resources Management Plan. We also introduced various alternative options in this consultation should the desalination option not prove to deliverable in this location.

We received 180 responses to the consultation. Desalination was not well supported by those who responded, with only 27% agreeing it was an acceptable solution to the water resources challenge in Hampshire, while 60% of respondents considered that water recycling would be an acceptable solution in the event that desalination was not deliverable.
The main issue raised was around the potential environmental impact of releasing the desalination by-product of hypersaline water back into the Solent, with a total of 24% of respondents raising this concern.

We assessed the options by considering a range of technical, planning, environmental, and best value criteria, and took the decision that work on desalination should not be progressed in this location. This was supported by our regulators.

More information can be found in Section 2 of the consultation brochure.

Water recycling plants use advanced treatment techniques to convert treated wastewater into highly purified source water. Special membranes are used to remove salts and a range of other impurities. The process includes reverse osmosis, where water is forced through tiny membranes 50,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, to remove dissolved salts and impurities. In fact, so much is removed from the water that some essential minerals such as calcium and magnesium have to be added back in to achieve the water quality customers are used to.

Yes, water recycling is a safe, established method of water treatment that is already used elsewhere around the world. In the USA, companies have been recycling wastewater to create a drinking water source for more than 40 years.

Before this Project is implemented, we will work with our regulators to undertake a rigorous system of process control, monitoring and performance assessments.

For more information on the water recycling process please refer to our consultation brochure.

No, we are planning to use recycled water to supplement the spring water in the Havant Thicket Reservoir.

The water recycling proposals are fundamentally different, and separate, to the current system of stormwater releases which are designed to protect homes from flooding. Stormwater is wastewater that has been heavily diluted by rain. It is sometimes released to the environment to reduce the risk of flooding to homes and businesses.

The recycled water would be treated at a new water recycling plant proposed to be located south of Havant before being transferred into Havant Thicket Reservoir.

The Project is being developed for use in a drought. However, to ensure the continued availability and cleanliness of the water recycling plant and associated pipelines, a continuous ‘sweetening flow’ of water would be produced and pumped into Havant Thicket Reservoir throughout the year. This ensures that the system is constantly prepared for being used at a higher capacity during drought conditions.

The same daily volume of water would be abstracted from the reservoir to keep the pipeline to Otterbourne Water Supply Works operating effectively.

In developing our proposals for the Project we have also investigated a back-up option should it not be possible to secure an enhanced use of the new reservoir.

This back-up option would involve pumping the recycled, purified water from the new water recycling plant near to Budds Farm Wastewater Treatment Works directly to a new lake and then to our Otterbourne Water Supply Works for further treatment to become drinking water. It would also use our Peel Common Wastewater Treatment Works as a source for recycled water. As this is a back-up option, we have not developed it to the same level as the Project and so will not consult publicly on this option this summer. Should it be necessary to switch to this back-up option at a future time, we would need to consult on this further.

The Project has been developed to enable us to take less water from the sensitive chalk streams of the River Test and River Itchen during a drought, while maintaining essential supplies.

This involves building:

• New pipelines from the existing Budds Farm Wastewater Treatment Works to the new water recycling plant to supply treated wastewater for recycling.
• A new water recycling plant south of Havant that would produce purified recycled water.
• New pipelines from the new water recycling plant to Havant Thicket Reservoir, to allow the purified recycled water to be stored there.
• New pipelines and associated infrastructure to take water from Havant Thicket Reservoir to the existing water supply works at Otterbourne, where it will be further
  treated to strict regulatory standards before it is put into the existing water supply system.

The plans are centred on Havant Thicket Reservoir which we are funding and developing in collaboration with Portsmouth Water. This Project is separate from the current, approved plans for Havant Thicket Reservoir.

The programme is driven by reductions in the amount of water we can take from the Test and Itchen rivers, which means we have a shortfall of some 192 million litres of water a day during a drought.

These ecologically-sensitive chalk streams support a wide variety of species and deserve protection, but they also supply water to more than 750,000 people. We need to find new sustainable sources of water to help keep taps and rivers flowing.

This Project will make up a significant percentage of this deficit, providing 90 million litres of water per day to residents in Hampshire.

The decision to use treated wastewater from Budds Farm Wastewater Treatment Works was taken following an assessment of the available sources in the area to meet the shortfall.

Budds Farm is our biggest wastewater treatment works and its treated wastewater is released out to sea via a 5.7km long sea outfall where it has no further environmental benefit. This means the treated wastewater can be taken and used more wisely and the long sea outfall can be used to transport the reject water produced in water recycling safely out to sea, Additionally, the proximity of Budds Farm to Havant thicket Reservoir, which will provide essential storage for the water produced, means pumping costs of water are minimised – making the Project more energy-efficient and, ultimately, cheaper for customers.

The Project is being funded by Southern Water. It interacts with the wider Havant Thicket Reservoir Project which we are funding and developing in an innovative cross-company agreement with Portsmouth Water that will boost resilience and improve the sharing of water supplies across the county.

Like all our costs, funding for operational improvements and maintenance on the water supply side of the business is averaged across water supply customers’ bills across our region.

The overall cost of the Project and any impact on future customer bills depends on the final design for the Project, which is continuing to be developed.

As with all our costs and charges to customers, funding for the Project will be subject to approval by our economic regulator, Ofwat, as will the effect, if any, on our water supply
customers’ bills. We anticipate that Ofwat would spread the cost of construction and operation over the life of the assets once built, which would reduce the impact on bills in any one year.

The Project has been officially deemed a development of national significance because of its scale, complexity (requiring multiple powers and consents for its delivery) and the contribution it would make to the Government’s environmental objectives and policy priorities. That means that we need to obtain a ‘Development Consent Order’ for the Project, which is a type of planning approval determined by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, rather than from the local planning authorities.

A Development Consent Order is a type of statutory planning process that also allows several other powers to be sought at once, for example compulsory purchase or temporary access rights over land. More detail on the process can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website The process | National Infrastructure Planning (planninginspectorate.gov.uk).

A range of studies and investigations are ongoing as part of the consenting process for the Project. We will prepare a Preliminary Environmental Information Report which will form part of our next stage of consultation in 2023. This document will report the preliminary findings on any likely significant environmental impacts of the Project based on the information available at the time and is designed to inform consultees’ responses to the next consultation.

We will continue to undertake environmental assessments and the main Environmental Impact Assessment will be documented in an Environmental Statement that will be submitted as part of the Development Consent Order application.

It is anticipated that the vast majority of our infrastructure will be underground once construction has been completed and the Project is operational. However, our proposals include some above-ground infrastructure. This includes the new water recycling plant in south Havant, pumping stations and break pressure tanks.

We will install the majority of the pipeline using an open-cut excavation method where a trench is dug, the pipeline is laid at the bottom and earth is put back into the trench to bury the pipeline. Where we have to cross major roads, railway lines and rivers we will look at what are called trenchless methods such as tunnelling or pipe jacking.

We will minimise disruption as much as we can and will engage with local communities on how we will undertake the works, use local roads and manage our construction activities.

Further information on pipeline installation methods is set out in Section 3 of the consultation brochure.

Subject to obtaining consent, we are planning to start work constructing this Project in 2025, with the earliest completion anticipated to be 2030. As with any large project of this
nature, this is subject to change.

Most people across Hampshire are unlikely to be directly affected by the construction of the Project. 

If you live close to the proposed new pipelines or associated infrastructure, we will have contacted you already regarding our proposals as there may be elements of the work that could have an impact on you. 

As the design of the Project continues to develop, we will be working closely with local communities and potentially affected landowners, as well as stakeholders such as local authorities to identify and avoid, reduce and mitigate against any disruption the construction phase may cause where possible. More information will be available as part of our next consultation scheduled for 2023.

The consultation opens on 5 July and closes on 16 August 2022.

Yes, there will be six consultation events where you can meet members of the project team and view consultation materials.

We are hosting three webinars using the Microsoft Teams platform (accessible on a web browser). These will take place between 7pm and 8:30pm on the following dates:

• Tuesday 26 July
• Wednesday 3 August
• Thursday 11 August

Email [email protected] to register your place.

We have produced a suite of documents with information about the consultation, the key one being the Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project Consultation
Brochure.

We have also produced a summary of how the Project has been developed so far, called the Scheme Development Summary. We also have a Book of Maps which show the
corridor sections that we have identified and evaluated.

This Frequently Asked Questions document intends to help answer common questions about the Project.

We have produced a questionnaire for you to complete. All questions are optional. However, the more you tell us your views about the Project the better it is for us to consider
how we will take forward our proposals for the Project.

The questionnaire is available online at https://HampshireWTWRP.commonplace.is. If you are unable to respond online you can ring us on 0330 303 0368 to ask us to post a
questionnaire and a Freepost envelope to your house.

You do not have to answer the questions. You can email [email protected] and send us your views.

You can also post your letters to us and put FREEPOST HAMPSHIRE WTWRP CONSULTATION on the front of the envelope and you won’t need a stamp.

On the Project webpage you can download the consultation documents, look at maps in your area showing details of the Project, visit a virtual exhibition and send us feedback via the online questionnaire.

You can also visit the locations below to read reference copies of the consultation materials and pick up a copy of the questionnaire and a Freepost envelope.

Your response will be considered with the other consultation feedback we receive and will inform how we develop the Project going forward.

Your views will let us know what you think about:

• Water recycling as a solution to deal with the problem of water supplies for the future in Hampshire.
• The process we went through to select the corridor areas within which all the pipeline routes, above-ground infrastructure and potential construction areas required for the
  Project could be located.
• The process we went through to select our proposed location for the water recycling plant.

After the consultation we will consider all the responses received. These responses, along with outputs from our survey work and assessments, will inform the further development of the Project.

One of the next key milestones will be a further public consultation in late 2023 prior to a submission of our application for a Development Consent Order later in the year. We encourage you to register to receive updates about the Project, for example we will send you details of how you can take part in the next consultation.

Development Consent Order applications are submitted for large-scale infrastructure developments, categorised as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. They are made to the Planning Inspectorate who will consider the application and make a recommendation to the relevant Secretary of State who decides whether to approve or reject the application.

Southern Water’s case for the project to be considered as a project of national significance can be summarised as follows:

• Urgent need for the project – the project is needed to mitigate against the environmental impacts of abstracting too much water from Hampshire’s sensitive chalk streams and ensuring the County’s residents and businesses do not suffer from debilitating water shortages when the weather is dry. The project is a key component of Southern Water’s water resource management planning and it is under a regulatory duty to deliver the project at the earliest opportunity.
• National Policy Statement for Water Resources Infrastructure – as a project of national significance, the project would be considered under the Water Resources Infrastructure National Policy Statement (currently in draft) which sets out all the stringent policy tests that need to be met. This is important as there are currently no local plan policies that relate to strategic water transfer and water recycling infrastructure.
• Scale, impacts and complexity – the extensive pipelines and infrastructure proposed could affect over six local authorities, sensitive land designations, multiple local communities and interface with other strategic infrastructure (roads, rail, pipelines, etc.) and land interests. The Development Consent Order route is well suited to managing this significant and complex project.
• Timely delivery of consents via a single authorisation process – Under the Town and Country Planning Act route, Southern Water would have to submit multiple planning applications to potentially six different local authorities as well as applications for over 30 other secondary licences and consents. There is a significant risk that something in the process won’t work to time which would have a knock-on impact on the programme. The Development Consent Order regime has statutory timescales, can wrap all applications and licenses into one single consent.

Most development that does not fall under permitted development rights requires planning permission under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. These applications are submitted to Local Planning Authorities, where they are considered for approval. For larger schemes, a planning committee of local councillors, advised by council officers, determines the application. Most other Town and Country Planning Act applications are determined by planning officers under delegated powers.

We believe the Development Consent Order consenting route provides the best opportunity to deliver this significant and regionally important water resource project, and the benefits of a resilient water supply and reduced environmental impacts on the County’s rivers, as quickly and efficiently as possible – to the tight deadline required under our regulatory duties.

The Development Consent Order route is better suited to the geographic scale of the project and provides a streamlined single authorisation process for securing all of the permissions, consents, licences and statutory powers needed to deliver this complex but crucial water resource project in a timely manner. Under the Town and Country Planning Act route, the scale and complexity of the scheme means that multiple applications for planning permissions would need to be made to potentially six different local planning authorities, along with separate applications for a multitude of other consents and licences. The risks involved in the separate consideration of all of these applications could lead to considerable delays in delivery of the project and the benefits it will bring.

A common question is how much engagement is undertaken under a Development Consent Order and whether this is more or less than under Town and Country Planning Act 1990 routes. The answer is simple – there is a considerably more onerous requirement on the applicant for consultation and engagement under the Development Consent Order consenting regime.

The Development Consent Order process is built around significant consultation and engagement and resolving as many issues as possible before the application is submitted, ensuring local communities and other interested parties have opportunities to shape the proposals as they are developed. Southern Water would have to demonstrate how this obligation has been met when submitting a Development Consent Order application - failure to meet the ‘adequacy of consultation’ test means the application would not be accepted for consideration when it is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.

In addition to ongoing planned engagement with key stakeholders, local authorities and other statutory bodies, we have planned two further public consultations on the project in summer 2022 and late 2023. We will consult the public in accordance with statutory requirements on its developing proposals, including reporting on preliminary environmental effects and proposed mitigation.

It’s also important to note that local planning authorities continue to have a key role in the Development Consent Order process, not only acting as key consultees throughout, with opportunities to submit representations and appear at examination hearings, but also regularly being involved in detailed design matters and other requirements (like planning conditions).

Both consenting routes have broadly the same delivery timeline, however the Town and Country Planning Act route carries more risk of delay to the project delivery. This is in part to the scale and complexity of the project – meaning that multiple applications for planning permissions would need to be made to potentially six different local planning authorities. The Development Consent Order route in comparison will provide a streamlined single authorisation process for securing all the necessary permissions needed to deliver the scheme as quickly as possible. 

• Summer 2022: Non-statutory (public) consultation on pipeline route options
• Late 2023: Statutory Consultation on further technical detail on pipeline route and water recycling infrastructure
• 2024: Development Consent Order application submission (from submission to decision typically takes 18 months)
• 2024: Development Consent Order examination
• 2025: Development Consent Order decision
• 2026: Construction starts
• 2030: Strategic Resource Option operational