The partnership between Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate.has given the go-ahead for two Strategic Resource Option schemes (SROs) where Affinity Water and Severn Trent are the joint solutions owners to proceed to Gate 4 in the RAPID programme.

The Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) was set up in 2019 to help promote and accelerate the development of national water resources infrastructure.

Affinity Water and Severn Trent are the joint solution owners of both the Grand Union Canal SRO and Minworth SRO.

RAPID has now given the go-ahead for both schemes to progress to Gate four – the regulators had set a Conditional Review Point for both options due to concerns identified at gate three around solution maturity, programme detail and cost uncertainty.

The solution team has since provided additional information to address these areas, including updates on programme development, governance arrangements, design maturity and cost assumptions.

Following a review of the information, RAPID and its partner regulators are satisfied that the solutions have made sufficient progress and further funding should be allowed for both solutions to progress to Gate four.

Gate three of the RAPID programme represented a checkpoint on the way to solutions being prepared for Development Consent Order (DCO) or Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) applications.

Gate four is timed after solutions have had their planning applications accepted in order to avoid duplication and respect the roles of the examining and decision-making bodies for the applications. The gate four assessment will focus on actions set at previous gates, cost assessment and efficiency of spend of the development allowance.

RAPID has not requested any further actions on the part of the water companies in terms of:

• any new priority actions for urgent completion
• any new actions expected by gate four
• any new recommendations for the solution

Following the publication of RAPID’S draft decision on gate 4, solution owners and other interested parties now have the opportunity to respond. Representations are invited by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and the representation period will close at 6pm on 18 February 2026. All representations will be considered before RAPID’s final decision, which it intends to publish at 10am on 17 March 2026.