We have now submitted our Adequacy of Consultation Milestone (AoCM) document to the Planning Inspectorate. This is an essential step as the Project moves towards submitting the Development Consent Order (DCO) application in Spring 2026.
The AoCM is a relatively new obligation for major infrastructure projects such as ours. New guidance in 2024 set out the requirement for this submission which allows the Planning Inspectorate to review the adequacy of consultation before the DCO application is submitted, thus reducing the risk that our application is not accepted for examination.
A comprehensive summary of the pre-application consultation we have undertaken for the Project is included in the AoCM. We have included a summary of the approach taken at each consultation, how we have delivered each stage, and summaries of the issues raised and how they are shaping the DCO application and the development of the Project. The submission covers the five public consultations we have carried out. The first was in 2021 on a desalination plant in Fawley, following which, the current combination of water transfer and water recycling became the new preferred solution to address the water supply shortfall in Hampshire.
Three public consultations have been statutory consultations, meaning they must comply with the relevant legislation and guidance. The AoCM explains how we have fulfilled these requirements.
You can view our AoCM submission here: https://hampshirewtwrp.co.uk/AoCM.pdf
Our Consultation Report, which will detail how all consultation feedback has been considered and used to shape the Project, will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in Spring 2026 as part of the DCO application.