Regulators have merged two oversight frameworks into a single, streamlined gated process intended to simplify and accelerate delivery of England’s Major Water Infrastructure Programme (MWIP).

The new combined process brings the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (Rapid) and Ofwat’s Major Projects team onto a single end‑to‑end pathway.

Rapid will retain oversight of the early development gates, with Ofwat taking the lead on later commercial and delivery stages. The Environment Agency, Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), Natural England and Natural Resources Wales said they will continue to work closely with the two regulators.

The move follows feedback from water companies that the two separate frameworks – Rapid’s gated approach for testing feasibility and Ofwat’s commercial stages for procurement and delivery – created duplication, extra burden and uncertainty over timelines and decision points.

Under the combined gated process, projects will progress through six stages with formal decision points at Gates A–D assessing progress, risk, cost and readiness. Gates E and F cover post‑regulatory activities during construction, commissioning and close‑out.

Rapid will oversee Gates A–B, while Ofwat will manage the later gates.

Regulators say the single framework is intended to increase clarity, reduce duplication, remove organisational silos and improve both environmental and customer outcomes.

Cheryl Steventon, director of Rapid’s programme and stakeholder engagement, said: “We now have a Major Water Infrastructure Programme which includes 30 large-scale water infrastructure projects and will be delivered over the next 15 years.

“The programme covers a diverse range of projects at various levels of maturity from reservoirs to large-scale water transfer schemes (whose additional supply will meet about a third of England’s long-term deficit), to projects which have been constructed such as the Thames Tideway Tunnel.”

Guidance for the overall process and detailed guidance for Gate A – the first decision point – have been published, with further gate‑specific guidance promised in the coming weeks.

Regulators say the transition will be phased. Some projects close to an existing Rapid submission will not move across immediately, while others have been mapped onto the new pathway following discussions with the All Company Working Group and company checkpoint meetings.

Steventon added: “The £50bn+ programme will make a significant impact on economic growth, contributing up to £40bn to the economy by 2050. It will create more than 46,000 construction jobs and leave a lasting legacy of skills.”

The MWIP covers 30 large‑scale projects expected to be delivered over the next 15 years, from reservoirs to major transfer schemes.

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