Forest City · Water
Is there enough water for Forest City?
Yes. East Anglia is dry, so Forest City is designed around water from day one. A new 1,600-acre reservoir supplies over half the city's water, homes are built to strict efficiency standards, and connections to Anglian Water's network add resilience — all costed inside the £45 billion infrastructure budget.
East Anglia is one of the driest regions in Britain, and water is the most legitimate constraint on growth around Cambridge. It's also why Forest City is designed around water from day one, rather than treating it as someone else's problem like typical developers do.
At the centre of the city is a 1,600-acre reservoir, providing over half the city's water needs, alongside being a lake to swim and boat in and a home for nature. Britain hasn't completed a major new reservoir in over 30 years; Forest City will build one as core infrastructure, connected into Anglian Water's strategic network for resilience.
Forest City will build its own water supply — the new reservoir, advanced treatment works and strategic pipeline connections — costed at up to £4.5 billion within the £45 billion infrastructure budget. One claim made in Parliament added £4 billion of water costs on top of that budget, but the water infrastructure is already inside the £45 billion. Counting it twice reveals a double count, not a black hole.
The full water plan is set out on our Water page.