East Anglia is already one of Britain's most water-stressed regions. Adding a city of 1 million people would require a vast expansion of water supply, sewage treatment, and related infrastructure.
Water stress
Critics question whether reservoirs and water infrastructure can realistically be delivered for a development of this scale. The developers promise off-grid energy via solar and small modular reactors, but water cannot be manufactured—it must be sourced, stored, and distributed.
Schools, healthcare, and services
The plan boasts detailed housing numbers but offers no binding commitments on schools, GP surgeries, hospitals, or transport. Local services are already stretched. A development of this size would place unsustainable strain on existing capacity.
Public costs
Although the developers claim they need "permission, not subsidy," the scheme depends on billions of pounds of public infrastructure—water, roads, rail—and on land value capture to fund services. ConservativeHome has warned that the city could end up as a taxpayer-funded settlement if the economics fail.
What residents say
Parish councillors and residents have raised concerns about traffic, sewage, and the ability of the area to absorb such growth. The proposal has been labelled "completely unrealistic" by local politicians.