Anglian Water to spend billions building up the East's resilience to extreme weather
Norfolk will get £589 million of investment
£9 billion pounds is to be spent across Norfolk and the East to tackle the threats of water scarcity, temperature rises and low rainfall.
Anglian Water says the money will go towards building the region's resilience up, to allow it to thrive long into the future.
In Norfolk specifically, £589 million will be invested - with £9 million of that being used to connect rural homes to the sewerage network for the first time.
Why is Anglian Water investing?
The East of England faces critical challenges to its growth and prosperity over the next two decades, as temperatures hit record highs, rainfall decreases, and over 720,000 new residents move to the area, according to a new independent report by Anglian Water.
Commissioned with Capital Economics, the report, entitled ‘Thriving East’, suggests that the challenges facing the East of England are some of the severest in the country, second only to London.
It also explains how the region can get ahead of these challenges, by investing and building resilience for the future.
Following the report, Anglian Water is proposing investing £9 billion into the East region between 2025 and 2030.
Of that, more than £589 million will be invested into Norfolk specifically.
It's hoped the plan will also help the water company create 7,000 jobs across the East of England.
What will the money be spent on in Norfolk?
In Norfolk, Anglian Water is proposing a £9 million investment to connect rural homes to the sewerage network for the first time in Knapton, Morley St Botolph, Rockland St Peter, Wormegay, Billockby and Clippesby – protecting the environment from pollution caused by poorly-performing private drainage systems.
This would be accompanied by a £4 million investment to protect properties in Gorleston from sewer flooding.
The company is also planning to extend its strategic pipeline – a regional water grid – by investing a further £13 million pipeline to transport water from the wetter north of its region to drier areas in the south and east, such as Norfolk.
"Our purpose is to bring environmental and social prosperity"
Peter Simpson, Chief Executive Officer of Anglian Water, said: “Our purpose is to bring environmental and social prosperity to the region we serve. Our region relies on water to facilitate economic growth, tourism, and to feed a significant part of the population.
“Our role is to facilitate growth and prosperity in the region through significant investment, with our most recent business plan for 2025-30 - our largest ever - outlining a proposed £9bn of essential investment in the region. This plan, created in consultation with regional stakeholders, is designed to address precisely the challenges Thriving East sets out.
“But to achieve this it will require close collaboration with local authorities, businesses, community groups and regulators to unlock opportunities for generations to come. We hope that this acts as a rallying cry to help bring together everyone who shares our ambition to capitalise on the many opportunities and in delivering a prosperous, thriving future for the region.”
Anglian Water’s plans for other investment in Norfolk include:
• £63 million to increase the storm tank capacity at 9 water recycling centres, preventing storm discharges and improving water quality in the Rivers Bure and Yare
• £20 million to build a new pumping station on the River Nar, and a pipeline to Marham Water Treatment Works. This will allow Anglian Water to stop taking water out of the River Nar, protecting its Site of Special Scientific Interest while keeping customers’ taps running all year round
• £9 million to upgrade the biogas produced at Whitlingham Trowse Water Recycling Centre to biomethane, which can be exported to the natural gas grid, reducing the use of fossil fuels and subsequent carbon emissions