DEFRA EDF Water Facility B953

Our construction experts are busy delivering a new water storage and pumping facility for DEFRA (Departments for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), in order to upgrade the ‘Animal and Plant Health Agency’ (APHA) Weybridge Estate.

With work beginning on-site in Spring 2025, and a planned completion in Autumn of the following year, this project will make up part of the site-wide steam and water infrastructure programme.

Working closely with DEFRA, the objective of this build is to provide a centralised new water storage facility. This new facility, when complete, will comprise of a self-contained water storage and pumping station, to replace the redundant existing facility, which is obsolete and at the end of life.

The works consist of a new 90m2 Plantroom which will house pumps and LV switch room, two 300,000L above-ground GRP sectional water tanks, heightened security features, along with associated inground services and infrastructure.

This is an important project for the APHA site as there is a clear need for a larger water storage facility, to serve the National Biosecurity Centre Programme. This new facility will also allow the present water storage facility to be decommissioned and demolished, which will allow the space to be repurposed for the new science hubs.

Due to the nature of this build and the customers need for ensuring business as usual, this new facility will be built before being connected to the existing networks, whist the existing facility is safely disconnected.

Beyond the build and to meet the need for a 24/7 year-round system. This project has been designed to a N+1 resilience, meaning that for every set of N components (minimum number of components required to run the system) there will be an additional component, ensuring the system can still run in the event of component failure.

Richard Poulter, Managing Director of our South office, commented:

“Delivering this project highlights our unwavering commitment to leaving a lasting legacy through infrastructure that truly makes a difference. This new water storage and pumping facility represents a pivotal milestone in the modernisation and futureproofing of the APHA Weybridge Estate.

Designed with resilience, security, and sustainability at its core, the facility will underpin essential scientific work in animal and plant health—ensuring that the site remains equipped to support DEFRA’s mission, not just for today, but for decades to come.”