We are investing more than £4 million to improve our network between Hale and Aldershot to future-proof drinking water supplies as the community grows.
We need to strengthen the water network in the area to supply top quality drinking water to thousands of additional properties without impacting the supply to our existing customers.
To do this, we need to install around four kilometres of new pipework to increase the capacity of the network, with the majority of pipe to be laid in private land, including part of the Bourley and Long Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area.
Open access for recreational activities will be maintained at all times, with minor diversions in place at times.
There will also be some impact on public highways as roads are crossed to connect with our existing network.
This includes along Sandy Hill Road in the early stages of the project and in Bourley Road and Farnborough Road (up to the junction with Pennefather’s Road).
Work is set to completed in different phases over the course of 12 months. We are working with landowners, managers and regulators to ensure the right environmental mitigation is in place.
We will be communicating with stakeholders, residents and local businesses, including bus providers and emergency services, ahead of the planned start date.
More information, including FAQs and a map of the route, can be found here on our Engagement HQ page(opens in a new tab), where you can ask questions about the project ahead of our drop-in event.
Frequently asked questions
Click on the link below to read our frequently asked questions on the project to lay four kilometres of water main between Hale and Aldershot.
Project updates and key milestones
December 16 - Project update
Our project to lay new water mains between Hale and Aldershot will pause later this week for the Christmas period, before resuming in the new year.
We have now laid more than 3.5 kilometres, with around 240 metres of pipe still to be installed in private land.
December 3 - Project latest
We are continuing to make good progress on our project to lay new water mains between Hale and Aldershot.
Work is currently taking place in private land and we have now laid almost 3,300 metres of new pipe, with less than 400 metres still to be installed.
November 20 - Project update
Work is continuing in private land as we progress with the final phase of the project, having completed our pipe laying and pressure testing of the new water mains in public highways.
We have now laid almost three kilometres of pipeline during the different phases of the project, with around 800 metres of pipe still to be installed in private land.
October 14 - Work completed in roads
We’ve now completed all the required work within roads between Hale and Aldershot on this project, with work in Bourley Road finished after carrying out pressure testing of the new water main last week. All remaining work will take place in private land.
Around 2.5 kilometres of new pipeline has been laid to date on this project, with around 1.4 kilometres remaining as we continue to work in private land off Sunny Hill Road.
October 7 - Project update
We have now completed testing on our new water mains in Farnborough Road, with the road fully re-opened.
This week, we are carrying out pressure testing of the new main in Bourley Road and continuing our work in private land.
To date, we have laid almost 2.5 kilometres of pipeline as part of the project.
September 30 - Project update
We are continuing our work to complete the section of the project on Farnborough Road.
To do this, three-way traffic lights will be in place tomorrow (Tuesday) near the junction of Pennefather's Road.
We are aiming to complete this work between the hours of 8.30am and 4.30pm.
September 26 - Road closure lifted
We have now completed laying the pipe in Farnborough Road and the road has now been re-opened. We would like to thank residents and motorists for their patience while we carried out this important work.
We will be testing the new main this week, while work is continuing in private land and we will carry out further work in Bourley Road, starting next week.
September 16 - Update on road closure
Our work in Farnborough Road is progressing well, with 72 metres of pipe laid already as we continue our project, with multi-way traffic lights currently in operation at the junction of Farnborough Road and Pennefather’s Road.
However, we have now been asked by Hampshire County Council to bring forward our planned road closures due to a large event being held in Farnborough later this month.
As a result, the road closures on Farnborough Road and Pennefather’s Road will now begin on Wednesday, 18 September.
Originally, the road closures were due to start on Monday, 23 September and continue until Friday, 27 September.
We are sorry for any inconvenience this will cause and please be assured that we will work as safely and quickly as possible to complete this section of work.
September 12 - Project update
Work is now underway in Farnborough Road and in private land as we continue our project to lay around four kilometres of pipeline between Hale and Aldershot.
Multi-way traffic lights are now in operation at the junction of Farnborough Road and Pennefather’s Road, with work set to continue in the road for the next three weeks.
Road closures will be in place along Farnborough Road and Pennefather’s Road from Monday, 23 September to Friday, 27 September, with a diversion in place along the A325, A331 and A3011 (Lynchford Road).
September 2 - Project update
We have now started clearance work in private land ahead of starting excavation work next week.
Our work in Sandy Hill Road has been completed and the road is now fully open, following successful testing of the new mains.
Work in Farnborough Road is due to start on Monday, 9 September, with multi-way traffic lights in operation at the junction of Farnborough Road and Pennefather’s Road.
August 22 - Project latest
We are now in the final stages of testing on the new main in Sandy Hill Road.
As a result, we are pleased to confirm that the rolling road closure in Sandy Hill Road is scheduled to be lifted tomorrow (Friday) ahead of the bank holiday weekend.
Around 850 metres of pipe has been laid in Sandy Hill Road during this phase of our project, with work being completed three weeks ahead of schedule.
August 19 - Project update
We are nearing completion on the work during the first phase of our project to strengthen the network between Hale and Aldershot.
Testing on the new water mains in Sandy Hill Road is set to take place this week.
Meanwhile, testing in Bourley Road will take place following installation of pipework in Farnborough Road, where work is scheduled to start in September.
August 12 - Project latest
We have now laid almost 1900 metres of water mains on the project.
To date, more than one kilometre of pipe has been laid in Bourley Road and across Wellesley Road, with another 850 metres of pipe laid in Sandy Hill Road.
Work is continuing this week as we move towards the final stages of both sections, with testing to follow on while the road closure is in place in Sandy Hill Road.
This is prior to work starting in private land and on Farnborough Road in September.
August 6 - Rolling road closure move
The latest section of our work in Sandy Hill Road has now been completed.
As a result, the rolling road closure has been moved again, with traffic from Sturt Road now able to turn left and use the diversion via Upper Hale Road.
Meanwhile, work is continuing under three-way traffic lights at Bourley Road and Wellesley Road, where we have laid almost one kilometre of pipe to date as part of the project.
July 29 - Rolling road closure move
We are now nearing completion on the latest section of our work in Sandy Hill Road. The road is due to be returned to its original state today (Monday 29 July) and once this is complete, the rolling road closure is scheduled to move tomorrow (Tuesday 30 July) to between Sandford Road and Sturt Road.
All traffic leaving Sandford Road will then be able to turn left and use the diversion via Upper Hale Road.
July 22 - Next rolling road closure move
The next stage of our work in Sandy Hill Road is nearing completion.
We are carrying out reinstatement work today (Monday) and as a result, the rolling road closure is set to be moved again tomorrow (Tuesday) to between MacDonald Road and Sandford Road.
All traffic leaving MacDonald Road will then be able to turn left and use the diversion via Upper Hale Road.
July 11 - Rolling road closure move
We have now completed the next section of our work in Sandy Hill Road .
As a result, the rolling road closure will be moved today (Thursday) to between Lyall Place and MacDonald Road.
All traffic leaving Lyall Place will then be able to turn left and use the diversion via Upper Hale Road.
We will provide further updates as our work progresses.
June 20 - Rolling road closure move
The next section of our work in Sandy Hill Road has now been completed.
As a result, the rolling road closure will be moved today (Thursday) to between Brougham Place and Eton Place.
All traffic from Brougham Place will then be able to turn left and use the diversion via Upper Hale Road.
June 11 - Rolling road closure move
We have now completed the next section of our work on Sandy Hill Road, between Barrie Road and Blackheath Road.
As a result, the rolling road closure has now been moved to between Blackheath Road and Brougham Place.
All traffic from Blackheath Road will need to turn left and use the diversion via Upper Hale Road.
We will provide further updates on traffic management as we progress along Sandy Hill Road.
June 3 - Rolling road closure move
We have now completed our work on the first section of Sandy Hill Road, up to Barrie Road.
As a result, the rolling road closure has now moved and work is now continuing between Barrie Road and Blackheath Road.
This means traffic coming from Barrie Road can now turn left, with the access to Sandy Hill Road now changing for this section from Upper Hale Road.
May 24 - Project update
We have made steady progress after starting work on the first two sections of our project earlier this month.
To date, we have laid more than 50 metres of pipe in Sandy Hill Road and around 90 metres of mains in Bourley Road.
We will provide further updates in due course, including when the rolling road closure moves on Sandy Hill Road.
Work underway
Work has now started on our project to lay almost four kilometres of new water mains between Hale and Aldershot.
We have set up a rolling road closure in Sandy Hill Road, with a diversion in place via Upper Hale Road and Alma Lane. A community bus service will operate for residents in Sandy Hill Road and the adjacent roads on the estate, between 9.30am and 2.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Meanwhile, we are carrying out trial holes on Bourley Road in Aldershot, ahead of work taking place from the junction of Farnborough Road to Sunny Hill Road, which will be undertaken under traffic lights.
The work on both sections is expected to continue until September and we will provide further updates as we progress with the project.
April update
Our work to lay around four kilometres of new water mains between Hale and Aldershot is set to start soon.
The project will begin in Sandy Hill Road in Hale on Monday, 13 May, with 800 metres of new water mains being laid in the carriageway.
A rolling road closure will be in place to protect motorists and pedestrians as works move from the Upper Hale Road junction to the northern end of Sandy Hill Road, just after Sturt Road.
Work will also start on Bourley Road in Aldershot on the same day (Monday 13 May) from the junction of Farnborough Road to Sunny Hill Road. This work will be undertaken using traffic lights and is expected to continue until September 2024.
The project will then move through the Ministry of Defence training estate between September 2024 and March 2025, from the northern end of Sandy Hill Road and entering the Bourley and Long Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest and Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area.
Also in September, work will continue along the carriageway of the A325 Farnborough Road from Bourley Road to Pennefather’s Road, which will require both a short road closure and temporary traffic lights.
March update
Planning permission for this development has now been granted by both Waverley and Rushmoor Borough Councils.
We are now working to confirm our programme of works and are looking to start the project in May in Sandy Hill Road in Hale and on Bourley Road in Aldershot, subject to highways notices being agreed.
The work, which will be carried out in four sections, is expected to take around 12 months to complete in total.
We will provide further updates soon on the programme, with letters to be sent out to residents and businesses in the local areas affected.
January update
We will soon be carrying out trial holes within the A325 Farnborough Road to assess ground conditions and space for the new pipeline.
This work has been planned to take place over four nights from Monday, 15 January, commencing at 8pm and completing by 5.30am each day.
Temporary traffic lights will be in place to maintain the safety of the public and our workforce.
Due to the nature of this work, there may be some bright lights and noise from the use of equipment, but please be assured our team will do everything possible to minimise disruption to the community.
Road closures and diversion routes
SANDY HILL ROAD:
Sandy Hill Road will be a rolling road closure, with a diversion in place via Upper Hale Road and Alma Lane.
The direction of travel for access will depend on where we are working at the time, with work starting in Sandy Hill Road from the junction with Upper Hale Road.
Initially, all residents in adjoining roads will need to use Alma Lane for access, with the proposed dates below for access to change from the Upper Hale Road direction.
Barrie Road – Saturday, 1 June
Blackheath Road – Tuesday, 18 June
Brougham Place – Friday, 28 June
Eton Place – Tuesday, 9 July
Lyall Place – Friday, 19 July
MacDonald Road – Wednesday, 31 July
Sandford Road – Saturday, 10 August
Sturt Road – Wednesday, 21 August
Please note, these are all target dates and are subject to change, depending on the progress on site.
FARNBOROUGH ROAD:
The Farnborough Road closure will be on a small section of the A325 from Wednesday, 18 September, with a diversion in place via the A323 (Wellington Avenue, High Street and Ash Road, A331 (Blackwater Valley Road) and Lynchford Road.
This map below shows the details of the road closure and diversion route.
All diversions have been agreed with Hampshire County Council highways, with signage to be put in place ahead of the works clearly signposting the route.
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