The Brief

Clock House Farm, a long-standing customer of FGS Pilcher, is one of Kent’s leading fruit producers, investing in long-term water resilience to support sustainable crop production and future business growth.

As irrigation demand continues to increase and water availability becomes less predictable, the farm commissioned FGS Pilcher to construct a new 20,000m³ irrigation reservoir as part of a wider strategy to strengthen on-site water storage capacity. The project followed the successful completion of an earlier reservoir and forms part of a phased investment programme, with further reservoirs planned.

By capturing and storing water when it is available, the reservoir will help improve water security, support business continuity during prolonged dry periods and reduce reliance on increasingly constrained summer abstraction.

The brief was to deliver a cost-effective, sustainable reservoir using materials available on-site while maintaining the highest standards of quality, safety and environmental stewardship.

The Challenge 

Ground investigations identified a number of engineering challenges, including sandy overburden, soft and variable ground conditions and naturally occurring springs that created a risk of flooding and excavation washout.

Delivering a reservoir of this scale required careful planning, specialist earthmoving expertise and machinery capable of operating safely and efficiently in difficult ground conditions while maintaining programme and construction quality.

The Solution

FGS Pilcher undertook detailed site investigations using specialist equipment to fully assess the ground conditions before construction commenced.

Trial excavations identified a significant deposit of high-quality blue clay beneath the site. This material was carefully excavated and reused to construct the reservoir liner, eliminating the need for imported liner materials, reducing costs and significantly lowering the project’s environmental impact.

To work safely across the soft ground, FGS Pilcher deployed low ground pressure dozers, a scraper box and a 20-tonne excavator, allowing efficient earthworks where conventional equipment would have struggled.

Temporary settlement lagoons were constructed to intercept water from natural springs, enabling silt to settle before clean water was pumped into a nearby ditch throughout construction. GPS machine control technology ensured the reservoir was excavated and graded accurately, delivering the required storage capacity and engineering tolerances.

The Outcome

Completed in just six weeks, the new 20,000m³ farm reservoir now provides Clock House Farm with additional water storage capacity to support its expanding irrigation network and long-term farming strategy.

The project represents far more than new infrastructure. It is an investment in water resilience, helping safeguard crop production against increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, strengthening business continuity and supporting future compliance as water resource management continues to evolve.

By making greater use of winter water storage, the reservoir will help the farm reduce pressure on summer water supplies while providing greater confidence during periods of drought and peak irrigation demand.

Using locally sourced clay from within the site also delivered significant cost and environmental benefits, demonstrating how carefully engineered solutions can improve both project sustainability and long-term operational performance.

FGS Pilcher’s combination of specialist machinery, technical expertise and proven experience in reservoir construction enabled the project to be delivered safely, efficiently and to the highest standard, reinforcing its long-standing partnership with Clock House Farm and supporting the future resilience of one of Kent’s leading fruit producers.