Waterlevel was very pleased to attend the Parliamentary launch of Bricks and Water, the third report in a series of inquiries by the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum. Bricks and water 3 sets out 10 clear recommendations including the vital need for reform in implementation of Planning Policy, the need for mandatory sustainable drainage systems and greater uptake of property flood resilience measures.
With firsthand knowledge of barriers to water industry competition and innovation, David Knaggs, Waterlevel’s MD and contributor to the inquiry, commented “an eleventh item might have supplemented the Report’s ten excellent recommendations – provision of sewerage services by regulated WaSCs or NAVs to new developments, whether outside or within flood risk areas, must consider whether wastewater should connect to a centralised network or be served locally by a community water recycling scheme and discharge. Optioneering of the most cost effective, sustainable solution, irrespective of provider, should identify the scheme to receive the substantial cross-subsidies that are baked-in to the regional monopolies model.”
Further work is essential to ensure sustainable solutions are incentivised and any regulatory barriers are fit for purpose.
Image credit: Policy Connect
Image credit: Policy Connect