Water concerns put 6,000 new Basingstoke homes in jeopardy

Concerns have been raised about plans to build thousands of new homes in Basingstoke and Deane because of serious questions about future water infrastructure and whether there will be enough water supply, including drinking water, for local households.

The concerns have been raised by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and supported by the Environment Agency and Natural England during a consultation on the borough’s draft Local Plan.

In late 2024, changes in the government’s national planning rules forced the borough council to plan for an additional 6,000 new homes.

Basingstoke from above (Image: Daniel Rook)

Cllr Andy Konieczko, cabinet member for strategic planning and infrastructure, said: "Our position from the start was that the significant rise in housing numbers imposed on our borough by the government must be supported with adequate strategic and local infrastructure.

"That’s why we commissioned an update to the water cycle study to ensure that water infrastructure is in place to meet the needs of new development.

"The water cycle study that we commissioned raised questions about future water supply to our borough.

"The Environment Agency and Natural England have also indicated, through the consultation, that demands for water from growth risks outstripping the limits of sustainable supply, which now needs more detailed investigation."

As part of the draft plan, the council carried out a new water cycle study to review the borough’s water infrastructure needs.

The study has now been backed by responses from environmental bodies and South East Water, raising fresh doubts about whether enough drinking and household water can be provided to support growth.

This is partly due to delays in a planned South East Water transfer pipeline.

More than 5,000 responses were received during the latest consultation.

The council said the feedback clearly reinforces the findings of the water study, and that work with South East Water and regulators is now essential to fully understand the scale of the problem.

Cllr Konieczko said: "Since we took over running of the borough council in May 2023, one of our top priorities has been having an up-to-date Local Plan that will protect our area from speculative development.

"Despite the government setting us a higher housing target, we’ve succeeded in developing a draft plan that went to public consultation.

"We have been clear in the plan that infrastructure needs to be provided first, reflecting the concerns of residents.

"This vital additional work gives us a chance to properly address these issues.

"We will do all that we can to find the right and best solution for our borough – we simply cannot progress until we have clear assurances that the homes we are being asked to plan for will have sufficient infrastructure in place to serve them."

Once a way forward is identified, the cabinet will meet to agree a new timetable for the Local Plan.

The draft plan sets out proposed sites for housing, employment land, and the infrastructure required to support growth across the borough.

All responses to the draft Local Plan consultation will be published on the council’s website at www.basingstoke.gov.uk/dlp-reg18-consultation-2025.