Bids invited for £5.7bn contract to build new reservoir

A water company has begun the official search for contractors to build a new reservoir the size of Gatwick Airport, despite not yet having planning permission for the project.

Thames Water launched its £5.7bn tender notice to construct the newly renamed White Horse Reservoir in Oxfordshire on Thursday.

The project, which is expected to cost £7.5bn and supply water to 15 million people, will be paid for by customers of Thames Water, Affinity Water and Southern Water through their bills.

Organisations have until 24 April to submit their requests to take part in the detailed tender process later this year.

Chris Taylor-Dawson, from the water regulator Ofwat, said the announcement was a "significant milestone".

The "important project" was "critical for securing our future water supply in the South East of England", he said.

He explained: "Using a competitive third-party delivery approach will boost resilience in the sector and deliver better value for customers."

The proposals would see the 150 billion litre (150 Mm3) reservoir cover 7 sq km (2.7 sq miles) of Oxfordshire countryside once complete in 2040.

Chris Weston, Thames Water's chief executive officer, said the scheme "represents one of the most significant investments" in water infrastructure in decades.

"Careers will be made and built through the reservoir's construction with thousands of jobs created, supporting families and communities across the South East."

The water company said construction would create about 1,800 jobs, "unlocking economic growth and opportunities to businesses of all sizes".

Ben Ring, major projects director at Southern Water said the project was an "essential part" of the firm's plan to "keep taps and rivers flowing" across Hampshire.

He added that the new reservoir would mean water could be left in the county's "rare and sensitive chalk stream rivers" during periods of drought.

The project has already been designated as nationally significant, meaning planning permission for it will be considered by the government, not the local planning authority.

Alongside Thursday's launch, Thames Water also revealed it had officially adopted a new name for the site - White Horse Reservoir.

"We wanted to create a name that allowed people to feel the connection to the local area - because this is going to be a place for local people," Leonie Dubois, from the firm, explained.

The announcement comes in the week that a group of Liberal Democrat MPs wrote to the government to request a meeting regarding the "spiralling costs" of the project.

In a letter to the environment secretary, Layla Moran, Charlie Maynard and Olly Glover said they had "serious concerns" over the "suitability" of the proposals.

A public consultation on Thames Water's proposals ends on Friday after being extended for an extra week.

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