Abingdon Reservoir & Water Consultations

Thames Water has launched a consultation on its draft Water Resources Management Plan 2024, setting out its proposals for dealing with future water supply needs.
Read more on the Thames Water website. Consultation runs until 21 March 2023.

To provide further information a series of Community Information Events have been planned:

1. Old Town Hall,  Richmond – Monday 16 January 2023, 2pm – 8pm
2. Trinity Church,  Abingdon – Friday 20 January 2023, 2pm – 8pm
3. Bingham Hall,  Cirencester – Thursday 9 February 2023, 2pm – 8pm
4. Steventon Village Hall, Steventon – Saturday 18 February 2023, 2pm – 8pm

and Information ‘Pop up’ events will appear at the following locations:

5. 18 January     Paddington Station
6. 27 January     The Oracle, Reading
7. 01 February    Westgate, Oxford
8. 04 February    Brunel Shopping Centre, Swindon

Meanwhile, Water Resources South East (WRSE), an alliance of the six water companies that supply drinking water across South East England, is consulting on its draft Regional Plan.
Read more on the WRSE website. Consultation runs until 20 February 2023.

Both Plans propose that the mega-reservoir at Abingdon should proceed almost immediately, despite the harm it would cause, and push back the alternative possibility of a Severn Thames transfer. 
CPRE Oxfordshire is working with local campaign group GARD to challenge the robustness of these Plans and our responses can be downloaded here.

In the meantime we have prepared a short response guide to help navigate the consultation, read it here.