Havant Thicket Reservoir wins prestigious award for stakeholder engagement
Work on Havant Thicket Reservoir started this this month. The reservoir will secure vital water resources for the South East and help protect world-renowned chalk streams, the River Test and the River Itchen, in Hampshire.
We are delighted that the Havant Thicket Reservoir project has been recognised for outstanding engagement with communities and stakeholders – winning a prestigious Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management award this October 2021.
The award reflects the team’s ability to adapt during the pandemic and their commitment to building relationships and engaging with the local and wider community. Portsmouth Water, Create 51, Atkins and Agilia worked together to plan the final public consultation before the outline planning application was submitted in the Autumn of 2020.
We are really proud of the role we have played in adapting to deliver the project where Covid-19 restrictions made traditional approaches difficult. Community engagement is a central tenet of our responsibility as an infrastructure business to deliver social value, which we explore in more depth in our recently published Social Value paper.
We brought together key stakeholders to feel part of the process, including environmental organisations, planning authorities and local businesses. Webinars for the public were held, and brochures were sent out for those unable to access the internet. In total we have engaged with almost 600 people via web, phone and post. You can read a summary of this feedback on the Portsmouth Water website in a ‘You said, we’re doing’ report.
Bob Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, Portsmouth Water, said: “We were delighted with the response to our consultation, receiving a large amount of feedback, where people had clearly taken time to find out more and share informed ideas, as well as asking valid questions.
“We are continuing to engage with the community as the project progresses and are always willing to listen, answer questions and take new ideas on board. As well as providing a sustainable source of water and protecting world-renowned chalk streams in Hampshire, Havant Thicket Reservoir will be an exciting, green leisure facility for the whole community and it’s the feedback and input from local people which will make this possible.”
For regular updates about Havant Thicket Reservoir, please sign up to the e-newsletter here: https://www.portsmouthwater.co.uk/new-reservoir/contact/
And to read more about Agilia’s role in the project, click to read our case study here.