FarmReservoirs.co.uk

The exact-match name for on-farm water storage in Britain, at the moment growers, grant funders and planners are all turning to reservoirs.

£500
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01 · The opportunity

Why this name, and why now

After the 2025 and 2026 droughts, storing winter water has moved from a nice-to-have to a business plan item for UK growers. Government is pushing the same way. In August 2026 Defra announced a new round of its Water Management Grant, worth up to £15m, specifically to help farmers build on-farm reservoirs for crop irrigation.

  • New grant money. The Water Management Grant pays 40% of eligible costs, from £35,000 up to £500,000 per farm business per round. Round 3 is expected to open this autumn.
  • Planning is getting easier. Updated planning guidance for on-farm reservoirs is due from MHCLG, and permitted development rights for reservoirs are under review with the NFU and CLA.
  • Licensing is being simplified. From September 2026 the Environment Agency is streamlining applications for long-duration reservoir abstraction licences.

Every one of those changes sends farmers, contractors and advisers searching for clear, trustworthy information about building a reservoir. Nobody owns that answer yet. This domain is the obvious place for it.

02 · The market

Big projects, rising budgets, a defined audience

Market size

£275k+

Typical build cost of a 100,000 m³ lined irrigation reservoir, before design fees and power supply.

£2.75–£3.25/m³, UKIA Reservoir Planning Guide [2]
£130m

Storage investment estimated to be needed in Norfolk and Suffolk alone to offset abstraction cuts.

RPA study 2025, cited in [2]
£2.3bn

Supply-chain output at risk over 20 years in those two counties if irrigation abstraction falls by 30%.

RPA study 2025, cited in [2]

Growth

£10m → £15m

Water Management Grant budget, round 1 (2021) to round 3 (2026), with Defra saying it may add more if demand is high.

NFU [3], Defra [1]
+9%

Projected rise in total UK water demand by 2050, while available water is expected to fall by 6–11%.

Savills [4]
63%

Share of storage licences in catchments already classed as "water not available", so new supply has to come from winter storage.

East Suffolk figures, [2]

Who's searching

Arable and horticulture growersPotato, vegetable, soft fruit and salad growers, concentrated in East Anglia and the South East.
Earthworks and liner contractorsFirms that excavate, line and commission reservoirs and want enquiries.
Engineers and consultantsReservoirs Act panel engineers, hydrologists and grant writers.
Land agents and estatesAdvisers weighing water security, since irrigation can add up to £1,000 an acre to land value [4].
Irrigation suppliersPumps, pipework, rain guns, trickle systems and telemetry.
Planners and regulatorsLocal authorities and catchment groups dealing with reservoir applications.
03 · Possibilities

What you could build

Contractor directory

List reservoir builders and liner installers by county and sell qualified enquiries from farmers ready to build.

Grant and planning hub

Plain-English guides to the Water Management Grant, planning permission, abstraction licences and the Reservoirs Act.

Reservoir cost calculator

Enter cropped hectares and irrigation need, get a storage volume, a build cost range and the likely grant.

Your own company brand

A credible, memorable home for an earthworks, engineering or irrigation business that builds reservoirs.

Equipment marketplace

HDPE liners, pumps, filtration and monitoring kit, earning through affiliate links or supplier listings.

Case studies and news

Project write-ups, drought updates and licence changes, building an email list of farm decision-makers.

04 · The name

Why it works

  • It says exactly what it is. Two plain words that match how farmers and contractors describe the job, with nothing to explain or spell out.
  • .co.uk means UK. Reservoir rules, grants and licences are country specific. A UK address tells visitors the advice applies to them.
  • The plural covers the whole category. Building, lining, licensing, funding and maintaining reservoirs all fit under one name.
  • Easy to say and remember. It works on a phone call, a trailer banner or a stand at Cereals or the Royal Norfolk Show.
  • Credible from day one. A descriptive domain reads as an established resource, which helps when you are asking farmers for six-figure work.
05 · How buying works

Safe, simple transfer

Buy through Afternic, a GoDaddy marketplace, or through Escrow.com. Either way your payment is held by a trusted third party until the domain is in your name.

  1. Pay securelyCheck out on Afternic, or start an Escrow.com transaction for £500. The seller never handles your money directly.
  2. Funds are heldThe marketplace or escrow agent confirms payment and holds it while the transfer happens.
  3. The domain moves to you.co.uk domains transfer by changing the Nominet IPS tag to your registrar. You'll get simple instructions.
  4. Seller gets paidOnce you confirm the domain is in your account, funds are released. Typical transfers take a few days.
Available now

FarmReservoirs.co.uk · £500

One price, no auction, no haggling. Secure it before someone else builds on it.

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