South East Water has announced the commissioning the new Butler Water Treatment Works in Aylesford, Kent, a £50 million investment that will strengthen the resilience of the county's drinking water network and increase supply capacity in one of the UK's most water-stressed regions.
Built on the site of the former Aylesford Newsprint facility, the state-of-the-art treatment works is capable of supplying up to 20 million litres of drinking water per day to the network. The additional capacity will initially support customers in Maidstone and is expected to benefit Ashford and surrounding communities in the longer term as planned network improvements are completed.
The project marks the first major infrastructure scheme delivered under South East Water's current investment programme. According to the company, the new treatment works forms part of a broader strategy to reinforce water resilience across Kent, helping to reduce the risk of supply interruptions while supporting future population growth and increasing demand.
The development also stands out because of its water source. After the closure of Aylesford Newsprint in 2015, South East Water secured the site's water abstraction licence following negotiations with the administrators and the Environment Agency. The company noted that transfers of this type are uncommon and represent an opportunity to strengthen long-term water resource resilience.
Paul Lonsdale, Investment Delivery Director for South East Water, said: “Butler Water Treatment Works will help balance our water resources in the county, boosting our infrastructure in areas that have seen loss of supply in recent years, securing water for customers now and for the future.”
Construction of the facility was completed in March, and the site is already supplying treated drinking water to nearby customers. South East Water is now planning a strategic pipeline that will enable water produced at Butler Water Treatment Works to be transferred to other parts of Kent when required, further improving the flexibility and resilience of the regional supply network.
The project was delivered with principal contractor Murphy, while Clancy carried out the installation of pipelines supporting the new facility.
