Water UK calls for mayoral planning powers to cover water infrastructure

(by Karma Loveday)

Water UK has offered its support to policies out for consultation on empowering mayors to decide on planning applications – and has urged that overtly aligning spatial planning with water and wastewater infrastructure capacity will be essential to unlock economic growth.

Water UK was responding to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) Planning powers for mayors in England consultation, on implementing the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026. This looks to bring similar planning powers to those enjoyed by the Mayor of London to the mayors of Strategic Authorities across England. These powers include the duty to produce a Spatial Development Strategy like the London Plan; the option to ‘call in’ or determine planning applications of potential strategic importance, bypassing local planning authorities; the ability to proactively grant planning permission through Mayoral Development Orders; and the option to raise funds for community infrastructure.

The trade body focused its response on two areas: 

• Including water and wastewater infrastructure within the definition of Potential Strategic Importance (PSI), to join those already cited (solar development, onshore wind and battery storage development up to 100MW and electricity network projects). PSI projects can be ‘called in’ by a regional mayor if there are objections from a local authority.

• Giving mayors the power to use Mayoral Development Orders – which provide upfront planning permission, bypassing the local planning authority – to proactively grant planning permission for the strategic water and wastewater network upgrades required to support designated growth areas. 

Water UK noted that the prime minister has said that mayors should have a greater role in shaping the future of water, and that how this will work will be set out in the Water Bill. It urged: “As policies emerge, we recommend there is close engagement between the MHCLG and Defra to ensure there is alignment between water sector regulatory and planning reforms.”