Anglian Water welcomed nearly 200 developers, MPs and industry experts on growth and water resources at its Investing in a Thriving East conference in Peterborough on Thursday 30 January.

The East of England is expanding quickly, with Anglian Water’s Thriving East report revealing in November 2023 that the region is set to see more than 720,000 new residents by 2043. Anglian Water’s region, which stretches from the Humber Bank in the north to the Thames Estuary in the south, includes the country’s four fastest-growing cities: Milton Keynes, Northampton, Peterborough and Cambridge.

Featuring keynote speakers including Mark Thurston, CEO of Anglian Water; Jonathan Glerum, Head of Sustainable Growth for Anglian Water, Jordan Cummins, Director of the CBI, and Andrew Pakes MP, the event shared cross-industry perspectives on how the barriers achieving sustainable growth in one of the UK’s most challenged regions can be removed.

Water is key to unlocking sustainable growth – not least because it’s getting scarcer, with Met Office predictions forecasting that the East of England, already the driest part of the UK, will see record low rainfall by the 2040s.

With 75% of its land used for farming, the East of England is the UK’s breadbasket, meaning that climate change poses a significant risk to the country’s food supply without significant investment in water infrastructure.

Other emerging industries – including hydrogen hubs in Norfolk and Suffolk, industrial centres in the Humber, and the global hub research and development in Cambridge – also rely heavily on water availability.

Jonathan Glerum, Head of Sustainable Growth of Anglian Water, said: “Our largest ever investment programme over the next five years and beyond 2030 will create thousands of skilled, well-paid jobs in the region, which in turn will enable essential growth in housing, commerce and industry. This puts Anglian Water at the heart of one of the most thriving and economically vibrant regions of our country.

“The plan has been designed specifically to support the planned growth in our region and ensure we’re protecting the environment, with projects like our two new reservoirs. But that  doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. We need to work with government, regulators, businesses, developers and local authorities to ensure that we’re all working together to ensure we have a shared view on where growth is being targeted, so that we’re delivering investment in the right places at the right times.”

Andrew Pakes, Labour MP for Peterborough, commented: “As the Chancellor set out last week, growth is at the heart of this government’s agenda, and the East of England is key, being home to several of the UK’s fastest growing cities, as well as some of the most important emerging industries which will underpin/bolster the economy across the whole country. The Investing in a Thriving East conference was a great opportunity to get lots of the key players together to consider what we want the East of England to be known for.

"It is vital that we get on and deliver the new Fens Reservoir to support growth and prepare for the future. The UK has ducked decisions on water resources and reservoirs for too long. I look forward to working with Anglian Water and other partners to get this project delivered. Now is the time to get the job done.”

Anglian Water’s business plan outlines an investment worth almost £11bn – nearly double that of the previous five years. Money will be ploughed into its largest ever capital programme as well as environmental and infrastructure improvements. It will include continued work on its flagship strategic pipeline project and continued planning for two new reservoirs.