Major Upgrade For Hastings Water Reservoirs

Three reservoirs within Alexandra Park, all at over 150 years old, will be upgraded, with completion in early 2022.

Built in the Victorian times to supply water to Hastings, the reservoirs are no longer used to supply drinking water and are now mainly used for fishing, recreation and wildlife.

In 2016 an inspection found that there was a need for improvements to Shornden and Buckshole Reservoirs - work at the former was completed in 2018.

For Buckshole Reservoir further investigations and studies were needed to determine how much work was required.

Although an inspection was carried out in 2016, standards have changed since then, so recommendations for work to be done at Buckshole were made in line with current standards.

Hastings Borough Council also commissioned ecology, landscape and heritage studies to help ensure the proposed works were carried out in the most sympathetic way, avoiding adverse impacts. 

Proposals to improve the safety at the reservoir have been given the green light by the council's Planning Committee.

Main construction will begin soon and is due to be completed by early 2022.

The proposed improvement works are:

A new outlet pipe, to be built within the existing overflow structure, which will allow the reservoir to be drained in a timely manner should a problem with the dam ever be detected.

A new spillway channel to replace the original and aged structure which has now deteriorated beyond economic repair.  

The new channel will be larger than the original to ensure it can cope with and protect the dam from the largest predicted floods.

Will there be an impact on the environment and residents? The council says:

Protecting the environment and maintaining the amenity value of the lakes for the enjoyment of our community are very important to us.

An ecology assessment has been undertaken to ensure negative impacts are avoided and discussions are taking place with Historic England regarding the heritage interest of the park. 

During construction, planned for late 2021, it will be necessary to temporarily close-off access to the area around the western side of the dam so that the work can be carried out safely.   

We also realise that noise can be an issue during construction, and this will be addressed by careful selection of an experienced contractor and the use of appropriate construction machinery and equipment.

Minor disruption as a result of these works:

The contractors for this project will be putting measures in place surrounding the reservoir to ensure the safety of the public and their workers.

Phase 1
There will be a temporary closure of the footpath along St Helen's Road on the Alexandra Park side to allow the site entrance to be created. A diversion will be put in place during this closure.

Parking along the Alexandra Park side of the road will also be suspended for 100m above and below the site entrance.

Phase 2
The lower footpath between the Alexandra Park public toilets and the reservoir will be closed for the duration of the works (until spring 2022) for safety reasons. There will be a signed diversion in place.

The footpath on St Helen's Road will stay open but there will be short closures to allow construction vehicles in and out of the site. A traffic light system will also be in place but will only be used occasionally to allow larger vehicles to have a smooth entrance and exit. It will be monitored by designated traffic marshalls.

Parking along the Alexandra Park side of the road 100m on either side of the site entrance will be suspended to allow construction traffic to enter and exit the site and to provide visibility for either side of the temporary junction.

When construction is taking place, access to the footbridge crossing the spillway channel will remain open but may occasionally close for a short period of time to allow machinery and materials to be transported to the spillway. This will also be controlled by traffic marshalls