Anglian Water has outlined its largest-ever year of investment for the East of England, as it embarks on the first of a five-year mammoth programme of work, totalling almost £11 billion.
By 2030, the water company will double the investment into its region’s environment, continue its work developing a ‘water grid’ of new pipelines to feed the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, protecting them from future shortages, and further develop plans for two new reservoirs in Lincolnshire and the Fens to supply water to nearly three quarters of a million people.
Work will also continue to improve the region’s resilience to the risk of flood and drought, help protect rivers and coastline from the effects of climate change and support the rapidly growing population and local economy by creating thousands of new jobs.
The next 12 months alone will see Anglian Water kick off the programme, with more than £2 billion spent across the region. Around half of this will be spent on new schemes, with the remaining amount going towards maintaining the company’s existing network and operations. To fund this, average customer water bills are expected to be £626 for the year, or just £1.72 per day.
2025: A £2bn-plus investment programme, fit for a growing region
The East of England includes the country’s four fastest-growing cities: Milton Keynes, Northampton, Peterborough and Cambridge, and is set to see more than 720,000 new residents over the next 20 years.
The water company’s plans are intended to ensure it can remain ahead of these pressures – but working with others will also be key in allowing the region to thrive.
Following on from Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ growth speech this week, the company is also welcoming key stakeholders, developers and industry experts from across the region at its Investing in a Thriving East conference today in Peterborough, which aims to share cross-industry perspectives on how sustainable growth can be achieved in one of the UK’s most challenged regions.
Anglian Water’s Director of Customer and Wholesale Services, Don Maher, said:
“Our programme of investment for this five years and beyond is transformational. It’s unlike anything seen for hundreds of years, since the sewer system in London was first built. It is critical to support our growing region, keeping customers’ taps running and toilets flushing in the face of unprecedented challenges from population growth and climate change. We’re really proud to have set out a robust, ambitious plan – one of the largest in the country – that will help the East of England to grow and thrive.”
Mark Thurston, Chief Executive of Anglian Water, said:
“Securing resilient water infrastructure is vital to unlocking growth, and in our region, which is the fastest growing, the driest and prone to flooding, we need to build infrastructure on a scale never seen before. The Chancellor is getting stuck in on what matters, recognising the critical role of the water sector so we can deliver on the billions of pounds of investment and upgrades planned.
“Our two new reservoirs, in the Fens and Lincolnshire, will supply up to 750,000 homes in total, while also delivering social, economic and environmental benefits for the communities around them.
“In the time that we’ve been developing the reservoir proposals, we’ve seen one of the hottest summers on record and one of the wettest winters, showing how climate change is already impacting the East of England, and why we need to secure this investment now to prepare for the future.”
