§ 88. Mr. R. A. Butlerasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what projects and plans are on foot to improve the supply of outside water for Essex, so as to avoid the necessity of short-term reservoirs being established to the detriment of good agricultural land.
§ Mr. CrossmanSurveys of the Great Ouse basin and the Thames valley are now in progress, and water for Essex may be available from either. But, if demands are to be met, it will also be necessary to make the most of local resources, and new reservoirs will almost certainly be needed in the county, although no proposals are yet before me. The agricultural value of the land will be one of the factors taken into account when proposals are considered.