# Build nine new reservoirs by 2050

> “And we have kickstarted the building of nine new reservoirs by 2050.”
>
> — HM Government; Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs press release (GOV.UK), 29 May 2025

- **Status:** In plan
- **Status ladder:** Promised → In plan → Legislated → Funded → Delivering → Delivered
- **Policy area:** [Housing & environment](https://ledgergov.uk/promises/area/housing-and-environment)
- **Speaker:** [HM Government](https://ledgergov.uk/actor/hm-government)
- **Made on:** 29 May 2025
- **Where:** Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs press release (GOV.UK)
- **Deadline:** 31 December 2050
- **Cost a year:** No costing published
- **Who it affects:** Water supplies in England; the reservoirs are planned in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex and the West Midlands
- **When:** By 2050
- **Paid for by:** Not stated when it was announced
- **Quote source:** https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/environment-secretary-at-economist-water-summit (checked word for word on 12 October 2026; Open Government Licence v3.0)
- **Last updated:** 12 October 2026
- **Card:** https://ledgergov.uk/promise/uk-nine-reservoirs-2050

## Where it stands

The nine are in the water companies' long-term water resources plans, which the government approved in January 2025, and in the Water White Paper (January 2026); Defra says the companies have committed to bring them online by 2050, in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex and the West Midlands. Water companies build them and bill payers fund them through Ofwat's price review, so there is no cost to the public purse; the government's part is approval and planning. As of 12 October 2026 none has applied for planning consent; the companies aim for the Fens reservoir in 2036 and Lincolnshire by 2040. Havant Thicket, under construction, is not one of the nine. Ministers restated the commitment without a date on 9 October 2026.

## Timeline

- 29 May 2025, Promised: Defra commits to fast-track the delivery of nine new reservoirs, directing the Fens and Lincolnshire reservoirs into the national planning regime
- 20 January 2026, In plan: The Water White Paper plans nine new reservoirs as part of increased investment in new water resources ([evidence](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-new-vision-for-water-white-paper/a-new-vision-for-water))
- 11 February 2026, Reworded: Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds gives a date: nine new reservoirs by 2050 ([evidence](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/environment-secretary-at-economist-water-summit))
- 31 December 2050, Deadline (to come): Nine new reservoirs due to be online by 2050

## Earlier wording

- Version 1, 29 May 2025: “This immediate step delivers on this government’s commitment to fast-track the delivery of nine new reservoirs, supporting its plans to get Britain building and deliver 1.5 million new homes by the end of this parliament.” ([source](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-steps-in-to-build-first-major-reservoirs-in-30-years))

## Sources

- [Defra press release, 29 May 2025: Government steps in to build first major reservoirs in 30 years](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-steps-in-to-build-first-major-reservoirs-in-30-years)
- [Environment Secretary at the Economist Water Summit, 11 Feb 2026 (speech as delivered)](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/environment-secretary-at-economist-water-summit)
- [Defra: A new vision for water (Water White Paper), 20 Jan 2026](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-new-vision-for-water-white-paper/a-new-vision-for-water)
- [HM Treasury press release, 28 Jan 2025: water resources management plans approved, including nine new reservoirs](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/reeves-i-am-going-further-and-faster-to-kick-start-the-economy)
- [Environment Agency press release, 9 Oct 2026: Environment Agency declares drought status in Yorkshire](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/environment-agency-declares-drought-status-in-yorkshire)

## Checks

- Checked by Pavel Guzhikov and 1 independent editor on 12 October 2026.

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