GARD has continued to be busy with the campaign to raise awareness about the proposed Reservoir and oppose its development. Below is the latest update on progress with the campaign.
The proposed Reservoir does not have planning permission; Thames Water will not put in its application for a Development Consent Order until November 2026 at the earliest. In preparation for this, we have been working closely with the local politicians to ensure they and we have robust evidence to raise .
On 12th May, RAPID[1] issued its final decisions on the Gate 3 Reservoir report submissions, after considering comments on its drafts from GARD, Oxfordshire County Council and others.
RAPID’s final decisions are not as strong as we would like, but it has demanded many priority actions that Thames Water must complete in the months ahead. Further work needs to be undertaken on:
- the risks of further cost escalation – how secure is the new cost;
- biodiversity and protected species;
- archaeology;
- water quality;
- flood risk;
- dam safety; and
- whether the reservoir still represents the best-value option compared with alternatives (especially the Severn Thames Transfer option).
The key is to make these actions stick and our MPs, led by Olly Glover, are working to press home our requests with Ofwat on this set of actions.
On a twin track, there was unanimous condemnation from GARD, CPRE and Oxfordshire councils at all levels that Thames Water’s January pre-development consent order (DCO)[2] consultation was totally inadequate, with serious issues being either swept under the carpet with vague future commitments (flooding risk, traffic noise and pollution, risk of dam breach) or completely ignored (water quality dangers from the reservoir). At the Vale of White Horse District Council’s Annual Meeting on 13th May, Council agreed to take this further by passing unanimously a motion requesting the Planning Inspectorate to demand seven Targeted Consultations[3] from Thames Water about the issues of :
- flood risk;
- dam breach risks
- emergency drawdown risks
- water quality in the reservoir and environment
- biodiversity effects of the new enlarged project
- construction and construction traffic effects
- and security issues against terrorist threats.
In principle this is a very strong move by the Vale, but will need work to make stick. We are very grateful for councillors Andy Cooke (Drayton) and Peter Stevens (Sutton Courtenay) for proposing the motion and for the very forceful speeches in support delivered by Councillors Sally Wightman (Steventon and Hanneys) and Sarah James (Hendreds). GARD will alert people to any Targeted Consultations launched.
GARD has also been campaigning at Millets and Q Gardens, talking to the public, distributing leaflets, getting our petition signed, and seeking to recruit members. Feel free to join and support us. Thanks to all who are volunteering to deliver leaflets round the area.
What you can do to help? Show that people matter
- Join GARD to stop the Reservoir and work towards a full opposition at the DCO hearings early next year. We can show them that democracy works – three MPs, Oxfordshire County Council, the two District Councils, the town and parish councils: all these oppose the Reservoir plans.
- Add your name to the list of GARD members and be part of that opposition.
- Donate to GARD – we need funds to fight a DCO!
- Volunteer – we shall be delivering leaflets to all the affected villages and are planning events too. There are jobs small and large, active and more routine. Please get in touch at gard.secretary@gmail.com 07773 029409
- Come to our annual general meeting, Friday 3rd July, 8pm, Steventon Village Hall (Millenium Room).
[1] RAPID is the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development, a partnership between Ofwat, the Environment Agency, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and others that oversees the early development of major water‑supply projects. The gated process is a series of formal checkpoints (Gates A–D) where regulators assess a project’s progress, risks and readiness before allowing it to move to the next stage, ensuring strong scrutiny while helping essential infrastructure advance efficiently.
[2] A DCO is the special type of planning consent required for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) in England and Wales. The proposed Reservoir is an NSIP.
[3] ‘Targeted consultations’ are a tool in the planning law to hold further consultation on the facts of a particular issue before an application for a DCO is lodged.
