Reservoir surveys will mean years of 'road chaos'

4 hours ago

John Devinein Wimblington

News image — FDC Councillor Charlie Marks says he worries that the infrastructure in Fenland won't cope with the huge reservoir project

John Devine/BBC A man with short strawberry blonde hair and wearing a blue fleece with a white shirt underneath has a field behind him with a large yellow digger visible. — FDC Councillor Charlie Marks says he worries that the infrastructure in Fenland won't cope with the huge reservoir project

A district councillor says he hears concerns on a "daily basis" from locals fearing major disruption as survey work for a new reservoir takes place.

Charlie Marks, of Fenland District Council (FDC), predicts there will be seven to 10 years of "road chaos", with thousands of contractors flooding the area, if the planned Fens Reservoir near Chatteris goes ahead.

Anglian Water and Cambridge Water are expected to submit a joint application to the Planning Inspectorate in 2028, before a government decision in 2029, with construction starting as early as 2030.

Marks said the area was saturated with traffic and that heavy machinery would need to use Fen roads that were already "crumbling badly".

Anglian Water said it was carrying out a programme of environmental and technical surveys across the proposed reservoir site and areas identified for associated water infrastructure.

It said the investigations were important in helping better understand local conditions, refine the design and assess potential environmental impacts.

Anglian Water An illustrative image of the new reservoir, people are walking beside the water on a footpath, and there is a grassy area with trees, and a building in the background — Anglian Water hopes the reservoir will also be a recreational space for people to enjoy

The town on the edge of England's newest reservoir

Marks said he also feared that the proposed reservoir, with visitor centre and water sports included, could go over budget, like the HS2 scheme - and that the area could just be "a hole in the ground full of water".

"It is not just all the vehicles, what about all the workers, where are we going to put them all, property rental prices are going up, if we bring lots of extra people in that will price locals out of the market," he said.

John Devine/BBC A man with wispy grey hair swept across his head, he has a dark green fleece over a blue and white checked shirt, he is standing in a farm yard, with bales of straw behind him and a couple of out buildings and farm machinery visible. — Richard Angood says that land around Chatteris was widely regarded as top grade growing soil - but it would become "more of an environmental area"

Farmer Richard Angood, from Manea, is a trustee of the Feoffee Charity (Poor's Land) in Chatteris, which provides financial support to people in need within the parish.

The charity owns and leases about 40 acres of prime agricultural land and Angood says it might be compulsorily purchased as part of the reservoir project.

"There are lots of surveys going on looking at what wildlife could be displaced by the works and I have been told by Anglian Water that our charity's land could become a wetland for water voles, the environment seems to be more important than food," he added.

Anglian Water confirmed that environmental surveys to identify habitats and species were currently being conducted in the area.

The water company said the reservoir was being developed to help secure future water supplies across the East of England, including Fenland and the surrounding area.

The treated water from the reservoir would ultimately be used by homes and businesses across the region, helping to support future population growth, improve resilience during droughts and reduce pressure on sensitive rivers and groundwater sources.