More than 18,000 new homes across East Anglia, Lincolnshire and the Home Counties are now closer to being built following a breakthrough between the government’s Water Delivery Taskforce and Anglian Water.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has confirmed that 18,771 homes have been unlocked after the Taskforce brought together local planning authorities, regulators and Anglian Water to address wastewater treatment capacity concerns that had previously delayed several large-scale developments.
Under the new approach, Anglian Water will work with developers and planning authorities earlier in the planning process, particularly on schemes of more than 500 homes. This will allow infrastructure upgrades to be planned, funded and delivered in phases over multiple investment cycles.
The developments now closer to being built include:
- Spitalgate Heath, Grantham: 3,400 homes, employment space and a local centre
- Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community: 7,750 homes and employment land
- Beccles, East Suffolk: 721 homes, alongside land for a primary school, retirement community and community hub
- Baldock, Hertfordshire: 3,200 homes and employment space
- Dunton Hills, Essex: 3,700 homes
The Taskforce has also helped advance discussions on a potential new water recycling centre for Grantham, alongside existing work on a strategic pipeline and a 20-million-litre storage reservoir to support future growth.
The government said the announcement follows previous Taskforce work in North Sussex, where around 21,000 homes were unlocked after a four-year pause on development was resolved through collaboration.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said the Water Delivery Taskforce had now helped unblock more than 55,000 homes, describing the work as an example of “pragmatic thinking and long-term strategy”.
The announcement is significant for the East of England, one of the driest regions in the country and an area facing both rapid population growth and major pressure on water infrastructure.
For the bathroom sector, the development highlights the growing connection among housing delivery, water resilience, and product efficiency. As the government continues work on mandatory water efficiency labelling, new home standards and the rollout of smart meters, water-efficient bathroom products will play an increasingly important role in supporting sustainable growth.
The Water Delivery Taskforce was established in April 2025 to bring together government, regulators, water companies and planning stakeholders to resolve water-related barriers to development while maintaining environmental standards.