Council’s free reservoir development event for Lincolnshire farmers
Farmers encouraged to sign up for free event with experts, regulators, planners and water companies to drive more on-farm reservoir development
Greater Lincolnshire’s farmers are encouraged to sign up for a dedicated on-farm reservoir event on Tuesday, December 1, exploring how to develop on-farm reservoirs in the county.
With droughts, hosepipe bans and unpredictable winter weather over the last few years due to climate change, the event will focus on the practical realities of reservoir delivery, bringing together farmers, planning authorities, regulators, water companies, academics and experts to discuss the latest Government policies, what they mean for agricultural businesses, where barriers remain, and how to get more on-farm reservoirs developed.
Topics will include:
- Insights from A.H. Worth on water management, water security and experience of developing and managing water infrastructure
- Reservoir feasibility and site selection
- The process and consideration
- Planning permission and environmental requirements
- Abstraction licensing and permitting
- Funding opportunities and future policy developments
- Lessons learned from existing reservoir projects
Led by the Greater Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture and Horticulture, the event builds on forum meetings and regional summits that have highlighted the growing threat that drought, water shortages and flooding pose to future food production.
The afternoon will include a visit to an existing farm reservoir, allowing attendees to see water storage infrastructure in operation and discuss the practical considerations involved.
The event is aimed at farmers, but a small allocation of tickets will be available for agents.
Coun Paul Lock, Executive Councillor for Economy and Investment, said: “Lincolnshire is one of the UK's most important food-producing regions, so ensuring our farmers have reliable access to water is vital for the future of the sector.
“This event will help farmers better understand the current processes involved in developing on-farm reservoirs and bring together stakeholders to build a common understanding of the challenges and opportunities around water management.
“By working together and developing a wide evidence base, we’re building the case for water security in Lincolnshire and the wider farming sector. The drought this year forced the Government into some action, but we know much more still needs to be done to support investment and development in agriculture.”
Matt Riddington, chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture and Horticulture, said: "To start getting more on-farm reservoirs built locally we’re bringing together farmers, planners and decision-makers to build a common understanding of what needs to be done.
“Water resilience is in all our interests, it goes hand in hand with food security. As this summer’s drought shows, if it’s not addressed, it can be damaging for all farming businesses.
“Recent changes from Government are welcome, but we will continue to make the case for more to be done, at all levels, to make on-farm reservoirs viable and deliverable for all farms wanting one.”
The Greater Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture and Horticulture is an industry-led partnership bringing together farmers, growers, processors, businesses, education providers and public sector organisations to support and champion agriculture and horticulture across Greater Lincolnshire. It is funded and supported by Lincolnshire County Council.
You can register your place for the upcoming event on December 1 at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reservoirs-from-concept-to-construction-tickets-2003813093905?aff=oddtdtcreator
Previously, the construction of on-farm reservoirs has been supported by two rounds of the Water Management Grant, launched in 2021 and 2023 respectively, both worth up to £10m.
The minimum grant value was £35k and the maximum was £500k per applicant business, per round of funding. Grant funding only contributed to 40 per cent of the eligible costs.
The WMG reopened in the autumn with up to £15m available to help farmers build on-farm reservoirs in response to this year’s drought endangering the nation’s food and farming resilience.
The scheme will focus on supporting water storage for crop irrigation, helping the horticulture and arable sectors adapt to climate change and improve resilience to drought.
If demand exceeds the funding available, the Government have said they will keep the budget under review and consider providing additional funding.
The Environment Agency has also funded Local Resource Options studies in 2024 and 2025 that bring groups of farmers together to assess what options are open to them to deliver water in the future and explored what challenges they face.