en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Regulators' Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (Rapid) in the UK has launched a consultation on expanding its scope of authority, marking a key step in transforming how England plans and delivers major water infrastructure projects.
Established in 2019, Rapid is composed of Ofwat, the Environment Agency, and the Drinking Water Inspectorate.
The consultation, open for six weeks until July 21, proposes changes in four areas: clarifying Rapid's role in system planning; improving regulatory coordination to accelerate delivery of major water infrastructure; defining entry criteria and intervention thresholds for projects under Rapid's program; and expanding Rapid's scope and powers to cover wastewater projects and strategically important projects not currently under its oversight.
Paul Hickey, Managing Director of Rapid, stated that Rapid was established to simplify complexity and has proven that coordinated regulation helps accelerate the development of major water supply infrastructure. The alliance will consult on proposals to define its national role and system planning arrangements to ensure it has the right tools and processes to safeguard long-term water security. The consultation will also explore expanding its powers to other strategically important projects, enabling the sector to address evolving infrastructure needs and regional water supply and wastewater pressures.
The Independent Water Commission (IWC) report recognized Rapid's achievements and recommended expanding and strengthening its functions. The White Paper "clearly supports its continued role in coordinating and safeguarding the delivery of major infrastructure." This consultation considers how Rapid can further strengthen national coordination by complementing regional system planning arrangements and includes new proposals to expand its functions to cover strategically important projects, such as large non-residential growth hubs serving data centers or industrial clusters.
A Rapid statement noted that city-wide sustainable drainage systems (SuDs), urban solutions for wastewater flooding or storm overflows, and large-scale wastewater schemes like the Thames Tideway Tunnel are among the project categories proposed for oversight by Rapid.
The consultation directly responds to Recommendation 75 of the IWC's final report and the government's January White Paper, "A New Vision for Water." The evidence and opinions gathered will shape how Rapid and major water infrastructure programs operate during the transition period, while also informing the design of functions for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to establish a single water regulator for England through the upcoming Clean Water Bill. Rapid welcomes evidence-based feedback on the benefits, risks, costs, and feasibility of any proposed changes.
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