Competition introduced for the provision of new water connections for housing developments.
From April 2018, measures introduced by Ofwat will remove barriers to competition and give housebuilders and developers in England and Wales a choice of providers for new water and wastewater connections.
This opening up of the water market, described by Ofwat as “a significant change from the past”, is expected to bring developers of all sizes a number of benefits including lower prices, better customer service and innovative supply solutions.
GTC, an independent utility network provider to the new-build market, has hailed the imminent arrival of competition in sector.
John Marsh, GTC’s Water Director, is delighted that the water market is following the lead provided by gas and electricity. “This is a watershed moment. A real game-changer. We have been held back from offering the whole housebuilding sector the choice to benefit from our different approach to network provision. As the trusted utility provider to many of the UK’s top housebuilders over many years, we are looking forward to being able to support many more of them with the full range of utility network connections. Adopting a truly multi-utility approach, sourcing all utilities from a single network provider, is now a realistic option for all housebuilders and developers.”
Until now, in England and Wales, the default option for housebuilders was simply to obtain water and wastewater connections from the local, incumbent water company either directly or via self-lay utility companies installing on their behalf.
