An Arup and Binnies joint venture has been appointed by Southern Water to help deliver the planning phase of the Thames to Southern Transfer project (T2ST).

The scheme forms part of the UK’s Strategic Resource Options (SRO) programme, the water sector’s largest coordinated investment initiative - currently estimated at £104bn.

As technical partner, the Arup Binnies joint venture (JV) will support the design of an approximately 80 km strategic pipeline capable of transferring up to 120 million litres of water per day from the planned White Horse Reservoir in Oxfordshire into Hampshire.

Once operational, the transfer will help significantly reduce abstraction from local rivers - protecting precious chalk streams and supporting sustainable water supply in one of the UK’s most water-stressed regions.

The appointment builds upon the JV’s current role in developing the White Horse Reservoir on behalf of Thames Water.

Together, the White Horse Reservoir and T2ST are key components of national plans to secure long-term water resilience across the South-east. The JV’s responsibilities on T2ST will span planning, design, environmental assessment, ground investigation and constructability through to securing development consent and supporting procurement of the main construction partner.

Timely delivery is essential to continue guaranteeing a reliable and sustainable water supply to customers, while protecting increasingly fragile ecosystems threatened by climate change.

Tim O’Brien, Arup Binnies JV framework director, said: “Building on the success of our Arup Binnies joint venture delivering the White Horse Reservoir, we are proud to extend this partnership to the Thames to Southern Transfer project. Delivering resilient water supplies for the future depends on strong collaboration and, together with Southern Water, we are committed to driving innovation and sustainability to secure water resources for generations to come.

“Drawing on our expertise across the UK and the globe, it underscores our commitment to delivering innovative, resilient, and future-proof infrastructure.”

Ben Ring, major projects director at Southern Water, added: “The Thames to Southern Transfer is one of a number of new water sources we’re developing for our customers in Hampshire, which will reduce the amount taken from the county’s rare and sensitive chalk streams. It’s great to have Arup and Binnies on board to help us deliver the planning phase of this essential project.”