In a significant move to bolster national water supplies and facilitate housing development, Environment Secretary Steve Reed has taken control of the planning process for two major new reservoirs, the first such intervention since the 1990s.

This decisive action delivers on the government's commitment to fast-track nine new reservoirs as part of its Plan for Change, aiming to deliver 1.5 million new homes by the end of this parliament. The government warns that without these projects, national water supplies will remain threatened, and new homes cannot be built.

The two new reservoir projects, located in East Anglia and Lincolnshire, have been awarded 'nationally significant' status, elevating their planning process directly to the Secretary of State. This streamlining is intended to accelerate the provision of water resources for over three-quarters of a million homes in England's most water-stressed areas. Rapid population growth, decaying infrastructure, and climate change could lead to clean drinking water shortages by the mid-next decade without a major overhaul. To address this, the government will legislate to automatically designate such fundamental water resilience projects as 'nationally significant'.

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Water Minister Emma Hardy stated: "Today we are backing the builders not the blockers, intervening in the national interest and slashing red tape to make the planning process faster to unblock nine new reservoirs."

David Black, Chief Executive of Ofwat, welcomed the government's focus on accelerating supply and resilience schemes, noting it will contribute to the largest programme of major water infrastructure projects in decades. With the risk of drought increasing and the driest start to spring in 69 years, the Environment Agency is urging water companies to safeguard supplies.

Anglian Water's proposed Lincolnshire Reservoir, aiming to be operational by 2040, would provide up to 166 million litres of water per day for 500,000 homes. Partnering with Cambridge Water, they also propose the Fens Reservoir, set for completion in 2036, which would supply 87 million litres to 250,000 homes in the driest region of the UK. Both projects will now move to a consultation phase. Water companies have committed to bringing nine new reservoirs online by 2050 across various locations, with the potential to provide an additional 670 million litres of water per day.