Tagged: Flood and Water Management Act 2010
Government: Too Slow to Tackle Flooding say MPs
The Government has been too slow to implement changes that would protect homes and businesses from the shattering effects of flooding and needs to get on with implementing them, MPs have warned in the run-up to scrutiny of the draft Water Bill. The select committee for Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) sets out the [...]
Cornwall Council Seeks Funding Reassurances from Government
Cornwall Council is to write to the Defra Minister seeking assurances that the Government will continue to provide funding to enable the authority to carry out its responsibilities for flood management. The Flood and Water Management Act introduced by the Government in 2010 gave local councils a number of new statutory duties related to flood [...]
Government Scores Poorly on Flood and Drought Action
The risk of flooding and water shortage in 2013 has increased because the Government is too slow in changing the way we manage our water, environmental leaders warn. The authors of the ‘Blueprint for Water’ report say that after two dry winters, it took Britain’s wettest ever summer to narrowly avert a serious drought. They [...]
Local Authority Survey – SuDS: The State of the Nation
Engineering Nature’s Way is launching SuDS: The State of the Nation, a national survey to investigate local authorities’ preparations for new SuDS approving roles and to gain insights into their vision for the use of SuDS in future. The survey follows the Government’s announcement of a further delay in the start-up of the new SuDS [...]
New Training and Guidance Meets SuDS Approving Body (SAB) Concerns
Local authority delegates attending the first of our new training sessions for SABS have welcomed the guidance and support it has provided against a background of continuing uncertainty. The training, organised by Hydro International, Arup and Micro Drainage Ltd is dedicated to providing practical and pragmatic advice to SABS on how to interpret Government guidance [...]
The Top 7 Unanswered Questions on SuDS Standards
With one voice, a cry for ‘clarity, clarity, clarity’ has gone out to Government in response to the National SuDS Standards consultation. There are strong indications that both local government and industry believe the standards, as they currently stand, are not yet fit for purpose. The devil is definitely in the detail as far as [...]
Surface Water Management 2012
The annual CIWEM conference will focus on direction, policy and practice. Thinking from across the world is helping to set out how surface water management fits into the broader context of water in the urban environment. The developing ideas envisage multiple benefits accruing from a wide variety of schemes and projects
Water and Ecosystem Goods and Services
Translating this into operation in the ‘real world’ The aim of this meeting organised by CIWEM will be to accelerate the practical application of ecosystem goods and services thinking into workable procedures throughout the wider water sector, including the periodic review process to 2014, water quality (WFD 2015), water resources and flooding, in order to [...]
New Training Programme for SABS and SuDS Approval
A consortium of three market leading and innovative organisations (Arup, Hydro International and Micro Drainage) have collaborated to produce a series of three days of training, specifically developed for SABs and organisations submitting SuDS schemes for approval. The content has been generated by practitioners with extensive experience both in the UK and overseas to help [...]
CIRIA Launches Retrofit SuDs Guidance
CIRIA is launching its much-anticipated guidance on Retrofitting to Manage Surface Water at a series of events across the UK this week. According to CIRIA, this important guidance document “promotes a different approach to managing surface water run-off to sustain communities that are pleasant and vibrant places to live in. This guidance sets out a [...]
SuDs get out clause would be ‘unmanageable’
So, the consultation on the National SuDS Standards is closed, and we are all eagerly awaiting the outcome. The draft standards are much as expected, but I am surprised, and more than a little concerned, that they contain such an unmanageable get out clause allowing any development to be exempt from SUDS if the SUDS [...]
When will we have a truly sustainable drainage infrastructure?
As Defra’s consultation on National Standards for SuDS came to a close, I was prompted to ask the question: how long will it be before they have a measurable impact on our surface water management infrastructure in the UK? The answer is, surely not for many years. Set to become law in Autumn 2012 at [...]
Defra’s Final Report on Pitt Review Progress
Defra has published its final report on progress made since Sir Michael Pitt’s seminal review into the devastating floods of 2007. According to the report , 43 of the review’s 92 recommendations have already been implemented and a further 40 are in the process of being implemented. Many of the review’s conclusions became embodied in [...]
SuDS maintenance funding arrangements could be a ‘logistical nightmare’
Local authorities still have some big questions over the funding of SuDS schemes as we move towards full implementation of the Flood and Water Management Act. I was attending a Flood Management Conference just before Christmas and was sat listening to a senior official from DEFRA explaining how the funding would be provided to maintain [...]
Super-Sewer Debate: A Step Too Far for SuDS?
The extent and passion of the debate over the proposed £4.1 billion Thames Tunnel “super sewer” has highlighted the mountain still to climb in reaching a vision for integrated urban water management in the UK which can be shared and owned by all stakeholders including planners, designers, the water companies and the general public. Thames [...]
Insurers Propose Flood Risk Subsidy for High Risk Homes
The Association of British Insurers have warned of up to 200,000 homes left uninsured, if the government does not subsidise flood insurance households in high risk areas. Recent press reports say the ABI and its members have called on DEFRA to “seriously consider” subsidising flood insurance in high risk areas, once the Statement of Principles [...]
At Last we have National SuDS Standards…
DEFRA served up an extra treat for us to digest over the Christmas holidays. The National Standards for SuDS were published for consultation on December 20. For the complete industry reaction, I suspect we’ll need to wait until the New Year is well underway. The National Standards are designed to provide a structure for the [...]
Defra Consults on National SuDS Standards
The Government have today begun a consultation on National Standards for Sustainable Drainage Systems in England. The consultation ends on 13 March 2012. Defra are inviting comments on the proposals, which form part implementation programme for the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.The Welsh Government will be consulting separately about implementation in Wales. Expressions of interest from [...]
NCE Flood Management Conference
New Civil Engineer is hosting its annual Flood Management Conference in December with a line-up of high profile speakers According the NCE, the expert speakers include: Dr Jean Venables, Chief Executive, Association of Drainage Authorities David Rooke, Director of Flood and Coastal Risk Management, Environment Agency Daniel Johns, Head of Funding, Insurance & Outcomes, Defra [...]
CIRIA – Designing SUDS Training
CIRIA is hosting a Designing SuDS training course on 6-7 December 2011, Newcastle The Flood and Water Management Act highlights the role that Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) can make in managing local flood risk with proposals to make SuDS a requirement in new developments. Awareness by practitioners and their implementation in developments is steadily increasing. To deliver successful sustainable [...]
SuDS or No SuDS – Is that a question?
Press reports of a ‘SuDS Loophole’ that may provide a ‘get out’ from the new National Standards have sent ripples around the industry. The New Civil Engineer exposé suggests Defra is now proposing that Local Authority SuDS Approving Bodies (SABS) can agree a ‘non-SuDS’ solution, if the only options for Sustainable Drainage would be ‘disproportionately [...]
Public Spending Watchdog warns of Local Authority Skills Gap in Flood Risk Management
The National Audit Office – the public spending watchdog – has warned that giving greater responsibility and discretion to local authorities to identify flood risk and target investment ‘raises significant challenges’, especially during a time of budget cuts and other newly devolved responsibilities. In a report published today, the NAO says it considers that greater [...]
Free Microdrainage Workshops
Micro Drainage is pleased to announce a series of free half day workshops during November; Thursday 3rd November: Micro Drainage Office, Newbury, RG14 1BD Monday 14th November: Weetwood Hall, Leeds, LS16 5PS Tuesday 29th November: Arup Campus, Solihull, B90 8AE Wednesday 30th November: Dillington House, Ilminster, TA19 9DT Registration will take place between 9:00-9:30am and refreshments are [...]
Environment Groups Slam Lack of Progress on Pitt Review
The Government is failing to deliver on its wildlife and landscape promises – including on the implementation of the Pitt Review – according to a report compiled by 29 of the UK’s leading environmental, wildlife and conservation groups. The Nature Check study has been published by the umbrella body Wildlife and Countryside Link to Government’s progress [...]
Local authorities build up flood management skills
Local authorities’ expertise on flood risk management has increased significantly in the last year, according to a report in New Civil Engineer. According to the report, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) surface water team Roger Orpin told an ICE East of England flooding conference, that council’s understanding had increased dramatically. Read the [...]
Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS) – the challenges ahead for SABs
We have come a long way in the last 10 years in getting surface water drainage considered at masterplanning stage on larger developments. Their outline planning applications are generally accompanied by a comprehensive flood risk assessment and drainage strategy. There is still, however, a real difficulty in getting these outline proposals reflected in the detailed [...]
SUDS From the Start
Local Authority Shared Case Study: An Aylesbury housing development demonstrates how Local Authorities should insist on SUDS principles from the outset of master planning. This is one of a series of case study examples shared by Local Authorities on Engineering Nature’s Way to outline the experiences of local authorities in introducing SUDS principles in their [...]
Is Localism Good for SUDS?
The Government’s localism agenda may not have moved the goal posts of the Flood and Water Management Act – but it is certainly changing the game.
ICE: Flood Risk Management – A local issue of National Importance
The Institute of Civil Engineers published its report in May 2011. It assesses the likely impacts the Flood and Water Management Act (2010) (England and Wales) will have on the authorities responsible for the preparation for, protection against and response to flooding events, including clarification of responsibilities, promotion of data sharing and partnerships, availability of [...]
Do engineers and landscape architects inhabit the same planet?
I’m a Landscape Architect who has specialised in SUDS design for the last 5 years or so. We’ve come a long way in that time from the publishing of PPS25, Future Water and the Pitt Report through to the Flood and Water Management Act, which one day soon (or more likely October 2012) will be fully [...]
Hydro International Hosts SuDS Round Table Debate
Hydro International hosted SuDS: The State of the Nation, a Round Table debate to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing SuDS delivery.
Download a Copy of the Survey Report
Twitter Feed
- Flood Re now out in front as the preferred solution to looming #flood insurance crisis @Insurance_Post
http://t.co/F2iviPeF9L
(about 2 days ago) - ABI uses Statement of Principles extension as bargaining chip | Datamonitor Financial http://t.co/EQ9EBcS3Ll #SuDS #Floods @engnaturesway
(about 3 days ago)
- Flood Re now out in front as the preferred solution to looming #flood insurance crisis @Insurance_Post
http://t.co/F2iviPeF9L
