Consultations
Our six-week consultation on our Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project, which ran from the 5 July to 16 August, has now closed.
The consultation focused on our proposed pipeline corridors. These are areas of land within which our underground pipes will be routed to transfer water from our proposed water recycling plant to Havant Thicket Reservoir and then onwards to Otterbourne Water Supply Works. These areas also include sites where above-ground infrastructure (such as pumping stations and break pressure tanks) could be located.
Alongside the consultation we also shared more information about the water recycling technology being proposed, including details of how it will work, how it helps achieve the objectives of the Water for Life – Hampshire programme and how it may become a blueprint for rolling out the technology in other parts of the UK.
Mark Wintringham, Southern Water’s Head of Project Delivery, said: “We’re really pleased with the level of engagement on our plans and grateful to everyone who took the time to give their feedback.
“The fact that our consultation, which we have spent many months planning, launched as Hampshire suffers a drought shows just how real and pressing the water resources challenge is”.
We’ll now consider all the feedback we receive, alongside further technical and environmental work, as we work to develop a more detailed design for the Project. We'll present this more detailed design, alongside information from our preliminary environmental work, at another consultation in 2024, during which people will have an opportunity to provide further feedback.
Although the consultation has closed, you can continue to use the consultation engagement materials, including the interactive map of the proposed pipeline routes and the consultation brochure, to learn more about our proposals. A Consultation Feedback Report, providing an overview of the main themes of the consultation responses received, can also be viewed below.
Consultation documents
Consultation strategy timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Water Resources Management Plan published |
| 2021 | First public consultation on preferred strategy (desalination) |
| Summer 2022 | Public consultation (pipeline route options) |
| Late 2023 | Public consultation (further technical detail on pipeline route and water recycling infrastructure) |
| 2024 | Anticipated consent application submission |
| 2026 | Consent application decision |
| 2026 | Construction starts |
| 2030 | Strategic Resource Option operational |
Previous consultation documents
Public Consultation 2021
Public Consultation 2021
We ran a virtual public consultation on the desalination scheme from February to April 2021.
Read the brochure we've produced for the consultation.
We consulted on elements of the desalination scheme (pipeline routes and inlet/outfall locations) and introduced the concept of back-up alternatives, including water transfers and water recycling.
The 2021 consultation ran from 8 February until 16 April 2021, with 180 responses received and 3,224 people accessing the virtual engagement space. The purpose of the consultation was to consult on the proposed desalination plant at Fawley as the strategic solution for the programme and on alternative water transfer and water recycling options should the desalination plant prove undeliverable, at this location and at this time. It was also used as an awareness and education opportunity to provide the public and key stakeholders with technical information on the solution and what it means for them.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time, the consultation was digital-led, using the online Virtual Engage platform alongside social media, press advertisements, media interviews, briefings and webinars.
The consultation identified support for a water transfer and water recycling alternative to desalination, and following our options appraisal process we have decided to take forward these alternatives. A Consultation Feedback Report, providing an overview of the main themes of the consultation responses received, is available here: