Water Resources Planning Guideline

Overview

We are seeking your comments on the Environment Agency's proposed updates to the water resources planning guideline (WRPG). 

The water resources planning guideline sets out the guidance that Government and regulators expect water companies to follow when writing their statutory water resources management plans. We revise the water resources planning guideline every 5 years, prior to water companies drafting their water resources management plans. We plan to publish a final version of this guideline in Spring 2026.  

Water resources management plans are statutory plans which set out how water companies will provide a secure supply of water, while protecting the environment, to their customers and businesses over at least the next 25 years. This will include proposals such as metering, reducing leakage and building new schemes such as reservoirs. Water companies produce these plans every 5 years. The next plans are due for public consultation in 2028 and final versions published over the winter of 2028/29. 

Please find the relevant documents in the 'Related' section below. The presentation of these documents may change when they are published in their final form on GOV.UK. This consultation invites comments regarding their content, rather than their format.

The Environmental Destination (ED) planning guidance is a "related document”, for comment as part of the WRPG consultation.  

Why your views matter

Responding to this consultation

This consultation runs for 8 weeks from 13/10/2025 until midnight on 5/12/2025. We will consider all responses received by the closing date before finalising our proposals. 

You can view the consultation document by clicking on the relevant link in the 'related' section at the end of this page.   

Please submit your response using this online consultation tool, as it provides an easy and efficient way to respond. It will also help us to: 

• gather all responses in one place

• summarise responses quickly and accurately

• reduce the cost of the consultation

If you do not wish to respond using the online tool, you can download the response form using the relevant link in the 'related' section at the end of this page) and email the completed form using the subject header 'Water Resources Planning Guideline' to water-company-plan@environment-agency.gov.uk.