The Environment Agency estimates that by 2050, in England almost 5 billion litres of additional water will be needed every day to support the population, the economy and food production, while also protecting the environment. In response, water companies are working on new reservoirs or expanding existing ones as part of their Water Resource Management Plans.
The purpose of Reservoirs in the Landscape: Design Principles is to equip those involved in reservoir design with advice and information to create high-quality, nature-friendly schemes that respond to the landscape context and needs of a place, enhance the wider area and create inspiring landscapes for people to enjoy. The Design Principles show how landscape can act as the ‘glue’ that brings inter-disciplinary teams, local communities and wider stakeholders together to turn an overall vision into a reality.
The landscape-led approach is guided by the statutory requirements relating to reservoir design. It seeks to ensure that design opportunities presented by the landscape context do not compromise safety, security, maintenance and operational requirements.
The requirement for good design in development is set out in national policy and in a range of guidance published by the government and the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC). This document complements and builds on these documents, including the NIC Project Level Design Principles, 2024 which advocates a landscape-led approach.