Have your say on new reservoir

A consultation has been launched about a proposed new reservoir which will serve the Downham Market area.The reservoir is planned for the land near March in the Fens, with new connecting infrastructure to transport fresh water to the surrounding area.A leaflet sent to homes in the Downham area included a map showing the general route of any new underground pipe, which will connect to existing infrastructure at Bexwell.

A spokesperson for Anglian Water told Your Local Paper: “At this stage of our work, we’ve identified broad corridors within which the required pipelines would be located. The corridors we’ve identified at this stage are around 500 metres wide – this is much wider than the area we’d need for constructing the pipeline along the route, which we expect to be around 50 metres wide.”This would reduce the reliance on sensitive ground water sources such as chalk streams, helping to protect and restore the environment.In the future, the reservoir could be home to a range of recreational activities, including fishing, water sports and bird watching. And, through the design of its embankments, it could also provide new walking and cycling routes to be enjoyed by the local community and visitors.Feedback can also be submitted at www.fensreservoir.co.uk or by emailing info@fensreservoir.co.uk