Charing to Ashford water main investment

We’re currently aiming for a construction start date in spring 2025, with the aim of completing the project by autumn 2026.

The programme is currently being planned, taking into consideration the engineering complexities along this phase of the project. We’ll need to cross and work within the A20 (Maidstone Road), as well as cross both the M20 and the London-Ashford railway line. As with any project, we want to do this with the minimum amount of disruption to the local communities, and also need to consider the wider impact on these national transport routes. Although we’re planning to lay the main by tunnelling beneath them, we need to ensure this can be done as efficiently as possible.

We know that as the population in our supply area grows, so too will demand for water. This project provides increased connectivity in our network and will ultimately connect our new water treatment works in Aylesford to drinking water storage tanks in Maidstone, Charing and Ashford.

This will ensure we can continue to provide top-quality drinking water in the area for decades to come. It will also provide us with the flexibility to move water around our network more easily at times of disruption. In total across both phases, we’ll be laying approximately 17 kilometres of new pipeline.