Water and wastewater capacity

If you’re a developer or land promoter considering a new site for development, we can help you with your pre-planning enquiries. The earlier we start talking, the better as you’ll need to know early on if our network for water and/or wastewater has the capacity to serve your development and what we’ll do if they don’t.

You can use this as evidence to support a planning application and we can prepare to serve the new development at the point of need to help avoid any delays to your programme.

Why make a pre-planning enquiry?

We’d advise you to make a pre-planning enquiry as there are benefits for you in doing so:

• Fast answers — we’ll confirm whether we’ve network capacity within three weeks, and what happens if we don’t.
• Avoid delays — if we don’t have the capacity, we’ll discuss a plan of action and timelines with you.
• Planning evidence —we’ll issue a letter you can use to support your planning application.
• Key contact — we’ll provide you with a named contact and their direct telephone number.
• No charges — this service is free and you won’t pay for any network modelling or network reinforcement needed.

How to apply

Before you apply, check your site is within the area we cover.

Download the application form below, and return it to us by email or post to:

Thames Water
Developer Services
Clearwater Court
Vastern Road
Reading
RG1 8DB

Our risk assessment for odour encroachment

Our sewage treatment works and other wastewater sites like pumping stations and storm tanks can sometimes be odour sources. We’ve put together the guidance below to ensure all proposed developments near these sites are risk assessed and, where necessary, that developers fund any mitigation needed to enable them to build there.