Sustainable growth and water cycle studies Andy McConkey, principal consultant, Halcrow Paul Hickey, growth and equivalence manager, Anglian Water Gerard.

Sustainable growth and water cycle studies

Andy McConkey, principal consultant, Halcrow

Paul Hickey, growth and equivalence manager, Anglian Water

Gerard Stewart, sustainable development policy officer, Environment Agency

What is a water cycle study?

A water cycle study is a partnership project to integrate urban regeneration and development with water environment constraints, and water services infrastructure planning to help achieve more sustainable urban development

“A co-ordinated approach to plan making should be developed through a programme of water cycle studies… to address the issues of water supply, water quality, wastewater treatment and flood risk in receiving water courses relating to development proposed in this RSS.”


A water cycle study is a partnership project to ensure:

• Houses are built in the most sustainable location with respect to the water environment

• Development makes best use of existing infrastructure, and new infrastructure is planned strategically

“Complementing this approach, Local Development Documents should plan to site new development so as to maximise the potential of existing infrastructure and minimise the need for new/improved infrastructure.”





• Urban development and growth is within environmental capacity

“Discharge limits will become more restrictive under the European Water Framework Directive…The Directive requires ‘no deterioration’ from current water status and local authorities will need to take this into account in their water cycle strategies.”




• Urban development and growth is within environmental capacity


• All water cycle stakeholders to have their say, preventing any last minute objections

• The evidence needed by the planning process to agree development plans is available in the appropriate level of detail when it is needed

“The Environment Agency and water industry should work with local authorities and other partners to develop an integrated approach to the management of the water environment.”

The output is a plan or strategy that provides the evidence base to support spatial planning decisions:

– What development policies need to be in place• Code for sustainable homes water targets• Evidence for design standards, building codes• Provide support/evidence for other policies eg. green infrastructure• Policies to support water companies• Dependence on national policy or legislation change?

– What water cycle infrastructure is needed to support development

– Who is responsible for funding, planning, delivering, operating and maintaining the infrastructure

Water cycle study outputs

Sustainable building design guidance

Constraints analysis

Infrastructure strategy

6050 Existing

MOD

+

5.8Ml/d

6050 Existing

5.6Ml/d

7.5Ml/d

4.6Ml/d

5.0Ml/d

5500New

6050 Existing

EXISTINGNO NEW

DEVELOPMENTWITH NEW

DEVELOPMENT

OP

TIO

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– N

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CO

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WN

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IVE

OP

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N 3

– W

ITH

EX

EM

PLA

R E

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WN

INIT

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IVE

OP

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N 2

– W

ITH

EC

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N IN

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6

1

2

3

4

5

Wat

er a

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Policy strategies

Why do I need a WCS

..inconvenience

…and how can we

avoid this?

…whose responsibility is this?

…who should deal with this?

…but what about this?...

…whose fault is this?

… 3 million new

homes by 2020/21

Why do I need a WCS

…3 million new

homes by 2021

80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050

Tighter water quality standards being drive by Water Framework

Directive

Emerging policy

How do I carry out a WCS

Authored by Halcrow for Environment Agency in partnership with Anglian Water, Government Office East of England

Found on EA website

- Planning and research

- Planning resources

• Aimed at local planning authorities

- WCS mandatory for new growth points

- Required by RSS policy in East of England

- Best practice elsewherehttp://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/planning/33368.aspx

How do I carry out a WCS

CONTENTS

- What is a water cycle study?- Water and planning policy

background- How do I carry out a water

cycle study?- Case studies and examples- Frequently asked questions

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/planning/33368.aspx

The stages of a WCS

Links to other plans

• A water cycle study is a framework for bringing together other plans and strategies

• The guidance provides advice

on what other plans and

policies to draw on. Eg.

• Development planning certainty decreases over time and can be unpredictable. A WCS partnership allows relevant stakeholders to be using the most appropriate information

Evolving process

• Early WCS (eg. Corby WCS)– development areas clearly defined– identify environmental constraints – Identify infrastructure required to overcome constraints– strategy to agree funding, responsibility, delivery

• Next wave of WCS (eg Cambridge WCS)– Influencing development location– Spearheading sustainability agenda– Develop planning policies to implement more sustainable

development– Balance between demand management and infrastructure

provision– Sustainability assessment or multi-criteria analysis to identify

preferred solution

Basingstoke WCS

Sustainability, water quality and ecology (WFD)

Bedford WCS

Integration of surface water management into WCS

Impact of climate change

Borden & Whitehill ecotown WCS

Sustainable development

Aspirational demand management

Swindon WCS

Detailed water quality modelling and STW assessment

WCS focus

WCS guidance is not prescriptive

WCS scope set to local requirements, based on needs of water cycle

Conclusion

• Integrated, multidisciplinary teams

• Policy and process still evolving; guidance is living draft

• Challenges we face require all stakeholders to move beyond comfort zone, and be aspirational

• But we need to be ensure plans are deliverable

Thank you for listening

Any questions?

[email protected]