The Westminster Sustainable Business Forum issued six recommendations for housebuilding and sustainable water management in a report, Bricks & Water, launched in parliament on Tuesday, follows a year long work programme bringing together the water, planning and housing sectors and an inquiry co-chaired by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering and Angela Smith MP.
The recommendations were:
A “fairer, tougher and simpler planning framework, supported by building regulations” to level the playing field to industry best practice, introduced through a mandatory “Bricks and Water Sustainability Code”.
The new green body mooted by Michael Gove must be strong and provide leadership on water management, and face both the housing and environment departments.
The new environmental body could also deliver catchment scale cooperation on key issues studied in the report including flooding and water management.
Property resilience certificates and water labelling for fixtures and fittings should be mandatory.
Green infrastructure must become the norm, supported by a national register of sustainable drainage systems and with maintenance responsibilities firmed up.
Water management should be prioritised as a public good as DEFRA decides on post-CAP incentives.
The report also sets out the challenges and barriers, and flags up future work needs.
For full coverage, see the July issue of THE WATER REPORT.