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The Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) has launched a consultation on expanding its authority beyond water supply to include wastewater and other strategically important infrastructure schemes. The move follows recommendations in the Independent Water Commission report and an explicit endorsement in the government White Paper.
The consultation sets out proposals across four areas:
- Whether RAPID’s scope should expand beyond water supply to include wastewater and other strategically important projects
- What criteria should determine which projects receive RAPID oversight
- How RAPID can better align with planning and procurement processes to reduce delays and duplication
- How RAPID’s delivery role should work alongside new regional water planning arrangements
This consultation covers England only, and they will consult separately on RAPID’s remit in Wales.
Currently, RAPID oversees 30 major water supply projects worth over £50 billion in whole-life costs. These include Thames Tideway, United Utilities’ Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme, and Dŵr Cymru’s Cwm Taf water treatment scheme. RAPID has already evolved from individual project assurance to national strategic oversight, identifying risks early through cross-regulatory coordination.
The consultation tests whether that centralised model should extend further into wastewater and other strategically critical projects. Expanding RAPID’s remit would mean a single coordinating body overseeing both water supply resilience and wastewater system improvements across England. Responses are due by July 21, 2026. An outcome document is expected in autumn 2026.