Stop Forest City

What is claimed

The developers promise they can solve water and wastewater constraints by unlocking permission to build major new water infrastructure. They note that the country has not built a reservoir in 30 years—a point that official government communications have echoed when announcing new reservoir planning. The implication is that new infrastructure is possible and that Forest City 1 would secure the necessary approvals and investment.

What is evidenced

The regional water planning evidence is explicit that Eastern England is under severe pressure. Water Resources East demand forecasts state the region is expected to experience "significant pressures" from both demand and supply constraints, and notes the region has been classified as an area of serious water stress. This classification is anchored in the Environment Agency's determination process, documented on GOV.UK as the "Water stressed areas – 2021 classification".

Local water-company planning documents are even more specific. Cambridge Water's 2024 WRMP (Water Resources Management Plan) summary states the Environment Agency has classified its operating area as serious water stress. It describes a combined challenge: growing population demand alongside large reductions in abstraction from chalk aquifers intended to protect chalk streams—reductions amounting to more than half of current water availability over time.

An Anglian Water "Shared Standards" document, produced with Cambridge Water, the Environment Agency, and Natural England, explicitly frames East of England as affected by water scarcity. It cites the region's low rainfall and links the issue to constraints on sustainable growth and local plan delivery.

What is not yet evidenced

A concrete pathway for supplying a city of 1 million people has not been set out. The developer has not published a water strategy, a wastewater plan, or evidence of engagement with water companies and regulators on deliverability. The "30 years since a reservoir" line is accurate—GOV.UK has used similar framing—but it underscores why water infrastructure is slow, expensive, and politically sensitive. That context strengthens scrutiny of any promise that implies rapid delivery.

For a fuller educational explainer on water in the region, see our water page: what serious water stress means, where water comes from locally, and what the regional plan says.