Have your say: Southern Water wants views on £1.5bn plan to reduce storm overflows with £74m in Chichester

£74m set aside for Chichester Wastewater Treatment Works. Picture – supplied.

Southern Water wants your feedback on its £1.5bn investment plans to reduce storm overflows, including £74m at Chichester Wastewater Treatment Works. Lawrence Gosden, Southern Water Chief Executive Officer, explains more.

As CEO of Southern Water, I’m committed to improving our environmental performance.

We have a long-term strategy to restore and protect our regions’ rivers and coastal habitats and part of this will be to address storm overflows. 

I know you want to see the end to storm overflows, but it’s not that simple. They’re emergency outlets acting as the last line of defence to stop homes and communities flooding when the sewer system becomes overwhelmed by rain or groundwater – something we’re seeing more frequently due to climate change. 

Your opinion matters, Lawrence Gosden, the CEO of @SouthernWater, wants your thoughts on its £1.5bn Clean Rivers and Seas Plan. Picture – supplied.

£1.5bn to address cause of storm overflows

We've got around 1,000 storm overflows in our region, and half are already meeting the Government’s 2050 targets, spilling less than ten times a year.

Now we have a plan to tackle the rest. 

Our new Clean Rivers and Seas Plan proposes a record £1.5bn to address the root cause of storm overflows - combining nature-based solutions with infrastructure improvements.

By 2035, 75% of our high priority overflows will be meeting the Government’s target, reducing spills by an average of 8,000 a year.

This represents an 80% reduction in spills in bathing water and shellfish areas by 2035. 

Plan includes 17 hectares of woodland

In Chichester, the first phase of this plan will be delivered by 2030, focusing on priority areas such as shellfish and bathing waters, and environmentally sensitive sites.  

Southern Water has already invested £72m, in improving the resilience and capacity of its Chichester Wastewater Treatment Works.

Our plan includes proposals for an additional £74m investment at the site, and in the local area to tackle groundwater challenges.

We plan to create 17 hectares of wetland, providing a natural solution to remove nitrates and phosphates from wastewater and improving biodiversity, following the successful installation of a wetland at Lavant Wastewater Treatment Works earlier this year.  

Find out more and how to share your feedback

We can’t navigate this transformation alone.

We need our customers and local authorities to work with us.

We face tough choices and must strike a balance between delivering what our customers want and minimising impact on their bills.

That’s why we’re asking customers to feedback on our plans. Together we can build a sustainable water future.  

Find out more about our Clean Rivers and Seas Plan and share your feedback