England’s water future: From reform to delivery

The moment for change

England’s water system is at a decisive point. Fragmented regulation, ageing assets and rising environmental pressures have made it harder to keep pace with growth, climate uncertainty and public expectations. A New Vision for Water marks a necessary reset, but it is only the beginning. The onus now lies with the sector to implement reform through coordinated programmes that deliver at pace and scale.

A unified regulator, creating a clearer environment for delivery

One of the white paper’s most consequential reforms is the creation of a single, engineering-led water regulator, consolidating economic, drinking water, environmental and planning functions into one body. This replaces a fragmented system that has long created duplication, inconsistency and delays.

For delivery organisations, the impact is significant. A unified regulator means clearer accountability, more consistent intervention and a single view of expectations. Programmes that establish strong governance, integrated technical thinking and proportionate assurance from the outset will be best positioned to operate effectively within this new framework.

Equally important is proactive and rigorous stakeholder management and a genuine understanding of the regulator's strategic priorities. Building relationships early and adopting a collaborative approach will help to emphasise shared problem solving and minimise the risk of adversarial engagement.

One national direction for planning and resilience

Two new statutory national plans for water supply and the water environment, alongside an updated National Policy Statement, replace a patchwork of obligations and link water availability directly to housing development. This elevates coordination across water companies, local planning authorities, regulators and communities from good practice to a strategic necessity, as projects are no longer brought forward in isolation but as part of a coherent, long term programme of infrastructure delivery.

This change anticipates the largest expansion of water infrastructure in decades, with reservoirs, transfers and treatment upgrades progressing in parallel to secure long term resilience. It presents a challenge not only in terms of the sheer volume of work, but in terms of the complexity and scale of each individual programme.

Even before the publication of the white paper, Mace Consult was already helping to drive positive momentum in this space, supporting Anglian Water Services (AWS) on its Reservoirs Programme as a Programme Delivery Partner. Our work spans the full delivery lifecycle, from securing the legal consents and planning permissions via the DCO (Development Consent Order) process up to the point of commission. It’s a scope that, like most major programmes, spans more than a decade, and will benefit from having consistent, integrated partner, with experience coordinating strategy, governance and delivery at every stage. Indeed, if it is to realise its ambitions and move forwards with certainty, the water sector will require more of this approach.

Environmental ambition, embedded into strategy

Perhaps the most fundamental shift in the white paper is its treatment of environmental outcomes, not just as compliance obligations, but as core components of infrastructure delivery. Catchment management, nature-based interventions and pre-pipe solutions must now sit alongside traditional engineering from the earliest stages of scheme development, reshaping how projects are designed, permitted and financed.

We’re already seeing this feed into the development of Environmental Impact Assessments, a critical component of the DCO process while, more broadly, our Responsible Business team is working in unison with clients to reshape sustainability strategies and associated requirements, including pre pipe approaches such as whole life carbon reduction and biodiversity net gain.

Embedding and clearly articulating these strategies at the outset is essential, not only to meet regulatory expectations, but to enable them to actively shape design development, consenting pathways and delivery models, as well as support the growing viability of investment in nature based solutions.

Competitive delivery and the rise of IP models

The white paper lowers the threshold for major water projects to be ringfenced from incumbent water companies and opened to competitive tender under the Specified Infrastructure Projects Regulations (SIPR), a model that has only been applied on Thames Tideway in the UK. Under SIPR, an Infrastructure Provider (IP) takes on its own regulatory licence to finance, build, own and operate the asset, fundamentally changing how programmes are structured, financed, brought to market, and delivered in partnership with the delivery partner. Mace Consult’s work with Anglian Water, where an IP model is planned, is giving us early insight into how IP arrangements can optimise outcomes.

Navigating the transition with confidence

The forthcoming Transition Plan, expected later this year, will clarify how reforms will be implemented. In the meantime, programmes can act on areas within their control: aligning governance with outcomes-based regulation; strengthening capabilities in programme delivery, PMO and project controls, cost and commercial management, and stakeholder engagement; embedding environmental requirements early; and preparing portfolios for emerging competitive routes.

From our experience supporting major water programmes across the sector, including ongoing work with Anglian Water Services, United Utilities, and forthcoming delivery with Yorkshire Water, establishing these foundations early enables schemes to progress efficiently through gateways and maintain momentum as expectations evolve. As the sector enters this next phase, the focus will be on organised mobilisation that turns reform into deliverable outcomes across reservoirs, wastewater and environmental programmes.