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We’re continuing our conversations about the Grand Union Canal Transfer scheme
Since our official Phase Two Public Consultation ended on 2 April 2026, we’ve continued to have conversations and engagement with local residents, landowners, communities and businesses, making sure we answer any queries, address concerns and keep everyone updated on the scheme’s progress. In short, we never stop talking about the Grand Union Canal Transfer scheme, and we’re happy to meet with, discuss and explain the scheme further with anyone who’s interested or has questions or concerns.
Here are some of the ways you can stay in touch and keep informed:
Join one of our forums
- Our quarterly online and in-person Canal User Working Group
We hosted our seventh meeting recently, and continued our conversations on our latest proposals with our boating community and canal users. We also updated them on how we’re addressing the responses we received as part of our Phase Two Public Consultation, and the timeline of the scheme as we prepare for our Development Consent Order (DCO) submission next year.
- Our new quarterly online Canal Business Working Group
We created this online group to address the specific needs and questions from our canal business and marina community, and our first session took place on Tuesday 15th September. We’re keen to add more canal-related business and marina owners to our forum, so please get in touch if you’d like to get involved: contact@guctransfer.co.uk.
Dan Timbers, Technical Lead at the Canal & River Trust, meeting with local canal businesses.
- Our new quarterly online Legacy Working Group
This newly created working group will ensure we focus on those ‘socially valuable’ opportunities along the scheme’s route, and leave a positive lasting legacy, beyond the delivery of the scheme. We’ll update everyone on our website and our LinkedIn page with more details on how to enrol and the first group meeting soon.
If you’d like to join any of our forums or want more information about them, please get in touch: contact@guctransfer.co.uk
Ask us to present in person at your parish council or attend your local community meetings
We’ve got several meetings scheduled with parish councils over the coming months, and we’ll continue to answer questions and discuss the scheme with local communities along the route. We’re happy to visit your local group or parish council, so please get in touch with our stakeholder engagement team to arrange a date at: contact@guctransfer.co.uk.
Register for the latest updates on our scheme’s development on our website
We share regular updates and news about the scheme on our guctransfer.co.uk website, as well as videos, reports and other materials and documents for you to learn more.
You can also catch up on our latest news in our quarterly Community Update newsletters on our website here.
Our Contact Us page is the place to go for details on how to keep in touch and register for updates.
For regular weekly updates, head to our Grand Union Canal Transfer LinkedIn page, where you can watch, read, listen and comment on our posts about what’s happening on the scheme.
Learn more about how we share knowledge and network with other companies and organisations across the water and utility industries
We’re ‘moving water together’ by working in partnership with Severn Trent and the Canal & River Trust to design and deliver a resilient water transfer scheme and solve the challenge of a future water deficit in the Southeast.
Not only do we learn from our partner organisations, we’re also constantly learning from, and sharing our progress with, other similar schemes and leaders across the water industry, and wider utility sectors. For example, members of the team recently visited the Strategic Pipeline Alliance in Peterborough for some very useful practical learning.
The SPA is a project led by Anglian Water that will create hundreds of kilometres of new, interconnecting pipelines that will strengthen water supplies in Anglian Water’s region. The team were shown around the pipeline construction site, and given an insight into the outstanding health and safety culture that’s been embedded across this scheme.
Our team regularly attends forums and industry events to talk about the Grand Union Canal Transfer at a national and global level. They also catch up with local MPs and attend ‘Round Table’ events at the Houses of Parliament. We’ll be at the World Water Congress in Glasgow on Tuesday 6 October, presenting the scheme and hosting a session celebrating and promoting women in the water industry.
Clare Carlaw, Head of Engagement, Land & Consents at Affinity Water, joined a panel discussion at the Infrastructure Summit to discuss how major projects can be successfully delivered.
You can keep track of where we’ve been showcasing the scheme on our LinkedIn page, and you can read our updates on our website.
Talk to us about your land, or the land in your area along the scheme’s route
The scheme covers a great distance of around 160 kilometres, and will run through 10 local authorities and 53 parish councils, so it’s important we continue to update everyone on those aspects of the scheme that are local and important to them, particularly with regards to land. Our land team have been in continual contact with landowners before, during and after our consultations in 2024 and 2026. They are continuing to meet and talk to them to ensure everyone has their say and are updated on how the scheme will impact or affect their land.
If you’re a landowner and want to make contact, please visit the Land page on our website and you can talk to a member of our Land team who will be happy to help.
We’re launching our STEM programme this autumn; we encourage you to get in touch if you want your local sixth form or college to take part
Students completing ecology and architecture activities at our Phase Two Public Consultation launch at the Daventry Reservoir, in February 2026.
A key aspect of our scheme’s development is to focus on the social value it will provide to communities and stakeholders along its route. We’ve developed a new Grand Union Canal Transfer STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics) programme for sixth forms and colleges, which will be rolled out in the autumn. This will provide young people with careers mentoring from our dedicated STEM ambassadors – who all work on the scheme in STEM-related roles. They’ll introduce students to the many work-related opportunities a scheme like this can provide, and support and hopefully inspire them to pursue a career in STEM fields like engineering, ecology and architecture, to name but a few!
For more information about our STEM programme, please contact our team on: education@guctransfer.co.uk.
When is the next public consultation event taking place?
We’re continuing to work on the scheme’s development as we move towards submitting our Development Consent Order application in summer 2027, to secure planning permission from the Planning Inspectorate.
We’ve made some changes to the scheme since our last public consultation in April 2026, and these changes are based on the feedback we received. There’ll be an opportunity to learn more about these updates and submit your feedback, for a period of six weeks, later in the year. We’ll let everyone know when this feedback window opens soon.
In the meantime, you can get in touch with the Grand Union Canal Transfer team at any time if you want to ask any questions or talk to us directly. Visit our Contact us page on our website for more details.
