Today I attended the launch of the latest report “Bricks and Water: Building Resilience for England’s Homes” by Policy Connect and the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum, hosted by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, Inquiry Chair.
The report highlights that due to climate change and population growth areas of the UK could run out of water by 2050. One in six properties in England are at risk of flooding, and since 2013, 85,000 new homes have been built within areas of high flood risk.
Rob Allen of the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum, the report’s author, gave a presentation pointing out the key recommendations in the report. He warned that personal water consumption must be urgently cut from the current national average of 143 litres per person, per day. Through a combination of measures such as changes to building regulations, introduction of a mandatory water label for fixtures and fittings, and increased metering, it should be possible to reduce consumption below 90lpppd by 2050, at little-to-no cost to the householder.
Increased property development exacerbates the risks from flooding and in spite of increased funding for flood defence schemes, it will not be possible to protect all homes. The report recommends the rapid acceleration of Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures to help to reduce the costs of restoration following a flood and allow buildings to be re-occupied more quickly. The report also calls for nature-based solutions such as Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) to be put at the heart of the Government’s housebuilding programme.
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