Learn how we’re supporting the planning of a pioneering scheme to repurpose England’s historic canals – helping to secure future drinking water supplies, protect ecosystems and benefit local communities.
Water is one of our most valuable resources – essential for daily life, public health and the natural environment. Yet the UK’s water supply is under increasing pressure. Population growth is driving demand, climate change is making droughts more frequent and fragile ecosystems like chalk streams need protection. Without action, water shortages could become a reality in some regions.
To tackle this challenge, water companies must think differently about how water is managed and distributed as part of their Strategic Resource Options (SRO) defined within Water Resource Management Plans. The Grand Union Canal Transfer project is a pioneering example of this. A collaboration between Affinity Water, Severn Trent and the Canal & River Trust, the scheme will use the country’s historic canal network to transfer recycled water from the Midlands to the South East – one of the UK’s most water-stressed areas.
By repurposing the existing canal network, the project reduces the need for major new construction of pipelines, keeping disruption to a minimum. Along its route, it will also help restore natural habitats, create more green spaces for people to enjoy and support local businesses that rely on the canals.
Since 2022, we have played a pivotal role, providing early water modelling and ecological surveys to inform feasibility. More recently, we have guided the scheme through the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and stakeholder engagement to support the Development Consent Order (DCO) process required for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs).
What is the Grand Union Canal Transfer?
“Britain’s canal network was built hundreds of years ago as the freight arteries that fuelled the industrial revolution,” Peter Walker, Head of Strategic Infrastructure Projects, Canal & River Trust, explains.
“Still used and navigated by boats today, canals have also been repurposed to serve modern society … The Grand Union Canal Transfer will invest in the network ensuring it can move water for domestic supply alongside its day-to-day role for navigation and thereby helping to play a vital part in meeting one of the major challenges faced by society today.”
The project will transfer recycled water from a new wastewater recycling facility in Minworth, near Birmingham. From there, it will flow via a new pipeline into the Coventry Canal at Atherstone, before beginning a 120-kilometre journey along the Coventry, Oxford and Grand Union Canals.
Existing canal infrastructure will be upgraded with bank raising, pumps, locks, bypasses and pipes to assist the water on its journey, before it reaches a new water treatment works south of Leighton Buzzard, where it will be abstracted, treated and piped to Affinity Water’s existing supply network.
“The Grand Union Canal Transfer will invest in the network ensuring it can move water for domestic supply alongside its day-to-day role for navigation and thereby helping to play a vital part in meeting one of the major challenges faced by society today.”
Head of Strategic Infrastructure Projects, Canal & River Trust
Our role in shaping this nationally significant infrastructure scheme
Our team initially supported the project’s progression through the early gated RAPID process – a regulatory programme led by three key water regulators, including Ofwat, to develop new strategic water supply projects. This helped inform investment decisions through robust environmental evidence and modelling.
Our most recent work comprised the EIA Scoping stage, which identified the likely ‘significant’ impacts arising from the scheme and determined how these will be assessed. A key focus is understanding the likely impact of transferring water between river catchments and the potential effects on flow regimes, habitats and ecology – including sensitive salmonid rivers.
Through baseline surveys and technical studies, our team is preparing the Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR), which presents our early EIA findings and forms the basis for the statutory consultation. This allows stakeholders, communities and regulators to review the latest scheme proposals and preliminary EIA conclusions and provide feedback before the final Environmental Statement is submitted with the DCO application.
The environmental assessments are being delivered largely in-house, drawing on expertise from over 20 environmental disciplines such as aquatic and terrestrial ecology (including biodiversity net gain and environmental net gain), hydrology, flood risk, ground conditions, air quality, noise, socio-economics (including social value), human health, traffic and transport, and landscape and visual.
Engaging communities along the route
In parallel to our environmental work, we are leading the scheme’s stakeholder engagement, consultation and communications programme.
Working closely with project partners, we developed the scheme’s brand and messaging and are managing a coordinated programme of engagement along the route.
To achieve this, we’re engaging directly with residents, businesses and recreational canal users to gather feedback that will ultimately shape how the scheme is designed, built and maintained. This collaborative approach ensures the project will not only strengthen water supply resilience but also bring social and environmental benefits to the areas it passes through.
These include:
- Futureproofing the drinking water supply: the scheme will protect the future drinking water supply and enhance canal facilities, creating accessible and enjoyable spaces for all.
- Enhancing biodiversity and protecting ecosystems: efforts to restore and protect habitats along the route will enrich biodiversity, contributing to the wider goal of leaving the environment in a better state.
- Improving the canal network: improvements to the canal network will ensure its resilience and safety, preserving its cultural and economic value for generations to come.
Addressing the UK’s biggest water challenges
While still in planning phase, the Grand Union Canal Transfer is already demonstrating how innovative, collaborative approaches can help address the UK’s long-term water challenges.
By combining expertise from Affinity Water, Severn Trent and the Canal & River Trust, the scheme is set to strengthen water infrastructure in the South East while delivering lasting environmental and community benefits.
If approved, the project has the potential to secure vital water supplies, support canal navigation and enhance biodiversity. By making use of existing infrastructure, it will help to create a sustainable water network, ensuring England’s historic waterways continue to thrive well into the future.