IN Brief:
- Southern Water has named Clancy Docwra for a design-and-build package valued at approximately £39.39m before VAT.
- The Andover Link Main aims to provide bidirectional transfer capacity of up to 15 million litres per day.
- A standstill period remains in place, and the reported award must not be presented as a signed contract.
Clancy has been selected for Southern Water’s £39.39m Andover Link Main design-and-build package in Hampshire. The scheme will connect supply infrastructure near Winchester and Andover and includes new and upgraded pumping facilities intended to strengthen resilience during dry weather and drought. The contract award remains subject to a standstill period before a planned signing later in November.
Southern Water’s award notice, published on 2 November, names Clancy Docwra Limited as the intended supplier and specifies a contract value of £39,390,095.99 excluding VAT. The standstill period ends on 11 November, with signature planned for 30 November and an administrative contract start of 1 December. These are procurement milestones; construction of the main pipeline is programmed for a later date.
The pipeline will run between Crab Wood service reservoir near Winchester and Micheldever Road service reservoir outside Andover. Current contractor reporting describes a route of approximately 22.8km; an earlier procurement overview used an indicative length of around 25km. The proposed alignment includes interfaces with existing reservoirs, transport corridors, watercourses, and land that will require reinstatement after installation.
Southern Water is targeting the ability to transfer up to 15 million litres a day in either direction. Bidirectional operation would allow the link to be used according to demand and network conditions, rather than restricting it to a single permanent transfer direction. The project is associated with supply resilience for the isolated Andover water resource zone and the need to maintain public water supplies while reducing abstraction pressure on sensitive river systems.
The wider water resources programme reflects changes to abstraction licences affecting the rivers Test and Itchen. Both chalk streams have designated environmental importance, and reductions in permitted abstraction are intended to protect their habitats. Southern Water’s agreement with the Environment Agency under Section 20 of the Water Resources Act 1991 followed a public inquiry into abstraction changes. The utility is developing additional transfer capacity in response, allowing its supply arrangements to be adjusted under the revised abstraction conditions while strengthening resilience during dry periods.
Clancy’s anticipated scope includes detailed design, enabling works, pipeline construction, and support for discharging planning conditions and securing environmental permissions. The contractor will need to coordinate construction and commissioning with the existing reservoirs and associated pumping infrastructure. Because the pipeline is buried, the design must account for crossings, ground conditions, access, and the restoration of land along its route. Temporary construction compounds, working areas, and ground investigations will need to be planned around the different sections of the route, including the watercourse crossings and the junctions with existing infrastructure.
Southern Water’s earlier engineering proposals identified trenchless crossings at the rivers Test and Dever and several crossings of the A303. At suitable locations, trenchless construction can take the pipe beneath a watercourse or road without cutting an open trench across its surface. Detailed ground investigation, the selection of a method, and the arrangement of launch and reception areas will determine how those crossings are delivered.
Early preparation, including vegetation clearance, may begin during 2026. The main construction programme is expected to start in winter 2027, with Southern Water targeting operation of the link by spring 2030. The procurement record’s proposed December 2026 contract start allows for design and preparatory activity ahead of substantial installation, with environmental permissions and planning conditions also requiring attention.
Southern Water is designing the route for a 100-year service life and targeting at least 10% biodiversity net gain. Planning submissions to Winchester City Council and Test Valley Borough Council form part of the approvals process. The route and reinstatement strategy must be coordinated with the required environmental measures, particularly where works affect river corridors and surrounding land.
Construction will take place across multiple sites and crossings before the completed sections can be connected to the pumping and reservoir infrastructure. Commissioning will need to demonstrate operation in both transfer directions, subject to the capacity of the wider network and operating conditions. The planned maximum of 15 million litres per day remains a design capacity for the completed link.
The next contractual milestone is the close of the standstill period on 11 November, followed by the planned 30 November signature. Detailed design, permissions, enabling works, and construction preparations will then determine the practical installation sequence for the link between Winchester and Andover. Southern Water continues to pursue the transfer capacity as part of its longer-term plan to protect the Test and Itchen while maintaining reliable supplies.
