LONDON, July 2 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:

Families willbenefitfrom more than 18,000 new homes following a landmarkbreakthroughbetween the government and AnglianWater-the latest victory in the government's drive totear down the blockers and get Britain building.

Thegovernment's Water Delivery Taskforce stepped in as Anglian Water previously objected to severallarge-scaledevelopments due toconcerns overwastewatertreatmentcapacity.The Taskforce brought together local planning authorities, regulators and Anglian Waterto agree a path forward.

Throughthenew approach, Anglian Water is working with developers and planning authorities at an earlier stage in the process to enable large scale developments of over 500 homes, allowinginfrastructure upgrades to be funded and delivered in a phased way over multiple investment cycles.

The taskforce hasopened upconversations aroundapotentialnew water recycling centrefor Grantham- plus the existing construction of a strategic pipeline and 20-million-litre storage reservoir to allow forthousandsmore homesin the years ahead.

This iskey forthe East of England,one of the driest regions in the countrybutwithone of thefastest growing populations andhighestpotential for growth, andfollows previous Taskforce success in North Sussex, where around 21,000 homes have already been unlockedthroughcollaborative work to resolve a four-year pause on development.

Thesesuccessesfor the Water Delivery Taskforceshow how strongcollaboration and partnership between government, industry and local communities isaccelerating theUK'sinfrastructurerevolution anddeliveringthe housing the country needs.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynoldssaid:

This is another success story for thegovernment'sWater Delivery Taskforce,whichhasalreadyunblockedover55,000 homes with solutions driven by pragmatic thinking and long-term strategy.

We are unlocking growth and getting Britain building whileprotecting our preciouswater supplies.Under this government's reforms, we are securingabrighter future with new homes and new jobs across the country.

Mark Thurston, Chief Executive Officer at Anglian Water said:

Given the concentration and scale of growth in the East of England, we are at the forefront of many major infrastructure projects, including two new reservoirs, our Strategic Interconnecting Pipeline, hundreds of miles of modern pipes, water recycling infrastructure and nature-based solutions, such as wetlands.

We are working with regulators to chart the path between environmental compliance and supporting growth, andthroughourwork with Defra's Water Delivery Taskforce, Anglian Water is working with developers and local planning authorities at an earlier stage in the process to enable large scale developments of over 500 homes. This is an encouraging step forward in enabling us to deliver infrastructure upgrades over multiple investment cycles.

Earlier this year, the government also announced over 130,000 new homeswill be built faster thanks to the New Homes Accelerator,establishedin 2024to getspades in the ground more quickly by providing local areas withadditionalplanningcapacity and removing regulatory hurdles.The government is also driving forward action to secure long-term water resilience, clean up waterways and modernise the water sectorthrougha once-in-a-generation programme of reform.

Having already reversed anti-supply measures in the National Planning Policy Framework, the government's planning overhaul is beginning to bear fruit, with a 15% increase in new housing starts compared to last year. This is on top of the landmark Planning and Infrastructure Act and further proposed changes to the Framework - the biggest rewrite of planning rules in over a decade.

Notes to editors:

The developmentscloser to being builtare:

* SpitalgateHeath, Grantham, Lincolnshire: 3,400 homes, 300,000sqft of employment space, and 86,000sqft for the local centre. * Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community: 7,750 homes and 25 hectares of employment space. * Beccles, East Suffolk: 721 dwellings, plus 5 hectares of employment land for a primary school, retirementcommunityand community hub with retail space. * Baldock, Hertfordshire: 3,200 homes and 16 hectares of employment. * Dunton Hills, Essex. 3,700 homes.

WATER DELIVERY TASKFORCE:

* The Water Delivery Taskforce wasestablishedin April 2025 and brings together representatives from Defra and wider government,regulators, water companies and the wider water and planning sectors. * The Taskforce is working to hold water companies to account for delivery of the infrastructure upgrades that they have committed to. * Its work supports growth byconveningkey parties to solve water-related barriers to development, whilst ensuring environmental standards are met.

WATER RESOURCES:

* We face a growing water shortage over the next decade and are pushing ahead with urgent reforms under our Plan for Change, including nine new reservoirs to help secure supplies.The last major reservoir built in England was Carsington Water in Derbyshire over 30 years ago. * Thisgovernment is taking urgent steps, and water companies are developing plans for nine new reservoirs by 2050 in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Kent, EastSussexand the West Midlands. * We are progressing work on mandatory efficiency labelling, and we will respond soon to our consultation on improving water efficiency in new homes. * We are also supporting the rollout of ten million smart meters by 2030 to help households understand their water usage.

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.