Portsmouth Water’s pipeline under Havant to be decided after sparking outcry over schools, trees and noise

The pipeline will run from the Havant Thicket Reservoir to the north of Middle Park Way to Bedhampton Pumping Station, Meyrick Road, Havant. The dual pipeline will allow taking water to and fro, and the option to keep one pipeline operational during any repairs or maintenance work.

The route the pipeline will take through Havant and its impact have received 29 letters of objection and one in support on the Havant Borough Council planning portal during the public consultation period.

Portsmouth Water has responded to objections and made some changes to its proposals, including taking some works out of school term time and using hoardings to block noise around a school.

Concerns raised include the impact of the tunnelling, removal of trees, ecology issues, water quality, the reservoir inlet pipe, impact on character and appearance of the reservoir site, a conservation area, the impact on St Thomas More’s Catholic School, Bedhampton, the Havant Rugby Club and Hooks Farm open space.

Along with the impact of public footpaths and highways for long periods of time.

Residents impacted for two years at Stockheath Lane, where Shaft 4 is being constructed, included a comment on the travel plan showing a discrepancy as to the number of workers on site, with the travel plan stating 65 people per day and construction traffic management plan stating 125 people per day.

In addition there is concern over how businesses will be affected by the number of workers arriving on site as rail and bus services are not available. One objector said with unreliable and infrequent bus services far from many sites workers will likely use their cars.

One objector said there is an assumed lack of public interest but this could be explained by the public being overwhelmed by the sheer volume and complexity of documents which number over 300.

The reservoir, which is under construction, will be filled with surplus water drawn from Bedhampton springs via the pipeline which received outline planning permissions in 2021. It will provide water needed for drinking by Portsmouth Water customers and waste water recycling services provided by Southern Water to Portsmouth Water customers.

The officer’s report published ahead of the meeting said since outline planning was approved for the reservoir scheme in 2021, Southern Water has forecast there will be a lack of water resources for Hampshire because its licences to take water from the River Itchen have been reduced by the Environment Agency.

The report said, as Southern Water is legally obliged to do something about the forecasted lack of water, its solution to this problem is to top up the reservoir with treated waste recycling water. This is a separate project, the Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project and is not part of this application.

Since 2021, Portsmouth Water reviewed the route’s feasibility and the use of alternative construction techniques. The overarching strategy is to deliver the scheme more efficiently and effectively, with less disruption to local communities and lessen the impact on the environment.

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Some 5.3km of pipeline, 2.5 metres wide inside concrete pipe sections, with nine shafts, will be installed over three years, using a combination of open-cut tunnelling for 1.5 km and microtunnelling for the rest. There will be two new water pipes installed inside two tunnels installed at a depth of between 3 metres and 10 metres underground, which will be below roads, footpaths, utilities, watercourses and tree roots.

The adjusted “pipeline corridor” starts from Bedhampton Pumping Station, through the Leigh Park Estate under local roads and open spaces following the Hermitage Stream and Riders Lane Stream, through Staunton Country Park towards the reservoir.

The council documents also said that a dual pipeline will achieve “resilience to the water network” giving greater flexibility when responding to droughts. Portsmouth Water could add and remove water from the reservoir at the same time.

This application has received comments about Southern Water’s pipeline scheme. One objector said: “Southern Water and Portsmouth Water cannot be trusted, the local community is being misled by water companies “ while another said: “The reservoir project has been hijacked by Southern Water.”

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Addressing the comments, the council officer’s report said the use of the two pipeline scheme by Southern Water is not for consideration as part of this application. It will be the subject of a Development Consent Order (DCO) for its water recycling scheme, the Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project, due to be submitted in Summer 2025.

That scheme would see Southern Water pipes installed inside two adjacent tunnels.

In the covering letter project consultants Atkins Realis said that £100million could be saved by Southern Water customers if a pipeline allowing for the Southern Water recycling project is laid at the same time.

Portsmouth Water is responsible for providing drinking water, while Southern Water provides wastewater services to Portsmouth Water customers.

The council officer’s recommendation is to grant planning permission with conditions and legal agreement.

Havant Borough Council planning chiefs will decide on planning application reference APP/24/00405 on Monday May 12 at a public meeting at Public Service Plaza, Havant.