Water planning and housing growth must be considered together. New homes, public services and commercial developments all depend on water and wastewater infrastructure being delivered in the right place, at the right time. This means catchment management, spatial planning and NAV water infrastructure all need to be part of the wider growth agenda.
The Government wants to build more homes and unlock development across the country. To make that happen, water and wastewater infrastructure must be ready when and where it is needed.
For the INA, the link between water planning and housing growth is clear: new communities cannot be built unless water and wastewater infrastructure is planned early and delivered on time.
Why water planning matters for housing growth
New homes cannot be delivered without water and wastewater services.
This makes water infrastructure central to housing growth. If water, wastewater, drainage, energy and spatial planning do not line up, local areas will find it harder to grow.
Catchment management is also important. It brings together many different organisations. These include water companies, local flood authorities, internal drainage boards, the Canal and River Trust, the Environment Agency and local authorities.
Each organisation has its own role. Each also has its own duties and priorities. Without a clear shared objective, the system can become fragmented.
That shared objective could be set by national Government. It could also be set by regional or local government where those bodies have the right powers.
This matters because some areas want more local control over growth, infrastructure and spatial planning.
The aim should be simple. Water planning should support environmental resilience, good customer outcomes and the delivery of new homes, public services and commercial development.
A new regulator also has an important role. It should make sure water and wastewater infrastructure can be delivered where it is needed.
Growth plans should not be held back by slow or poorly joined-up infrastructure planning.
The role of independent networks and NAVs
Independent networks already help deliver key infrastructure.
INA members provide electricity, gas, water and wastewater connections to new homes, public services and businesses.
In water, this is delivered through the New Appointments and Variations framework. These companies are known as NAVs.
NAVs are independent water companies. They compete with existing water companies to provide water and wastewater services for new developments.
They give developers and housebuilders a flexible, project-focused way to connect new sites.
NAVs also deliver last-mile infrastructure. This is the local network that connects new homes and communities to essential water and wastewater services.
As the Government seeks to build more homes, this competitive market should be able to keep growing.
Competition in new connections can support innovation. It can improve delivery. It can also help make sure infrastructure keeps pace with development.
A recent study suggests that the independent model can save up to 50% of costs compared with delivering utilities separately. It can also be completed 25–50% faster.
That matters. Faster and more efficient infrastructure delivery can help make new developments more viable.
Joining up water, energy and spatial planning
Long-term water planning should sit alongside planning in other utilities.
In energy, new regional energy planning arrangements are being developed. These are designed to help match infrastructure investment with local and regional growth plans.
Linking water planning to housing growth, energy planning and spatial planning would help local areas make better decisions about where infrastructure is needed. Catchment management should also be linked to it.
That means looking at where new homes, commercial sites and public services are expected to be built.
If water, wastewater, drainage, energy and spatial planning all move in different directions, growth will be harder to deliver.
Alignment between sectors is essential.
Water efficiency, nature-based solutions and innovation
Water efficiency must also be part of the plan.
So should nature-based solutions.
Sustainable drainage, grey water reuse and more efficient fittings can all reduce pressure on water resources. This is especially important in water-stressed areas.
But these solutions need the right support from planning, regulation and legislation.
In some cases, planning guidance may need to change. Nature-based solutions should be considered on a fairer basis alongside traditional engineering options.
Government should also look again at issues such as grey water reuse. This could help homes, businesses and industrial sites use water more efficiently.
A regulatory framework that supports innovation would help bring forward new ways to save water, manage drainage and deliver resilient infrastructure.
Catchment management needs long-term planning
Water planning must be long term.
A 25-year plan is sensible. Catchment management and infrastructure delivery cannot be driven only by five-year asset management cycles.
The choices made now will shape how communities grow. They will also affect how places manage flooding, drought and pressure on water resources.
There are already good examples of partnership working.
Yorkshire Water’s “Living with Water” partnership brings together Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the Environment Agency and the University of Hull.
It shows how collaboration can support better surface water management and flood resilience.
The challenge is to make this kind of joined-up working more common.
That means setting clear objectives. It also means funding regional planning properly, learning from good practice and supporting innovation.
Regulation should help delivery. It should not create extra barriers.
Water planning should enable growth
Water is essential infrastructure.
Water planning and housing growth need to move together if the country is to deliver new homes, public services and resilient communities.
The opportunity now is to join up catchment management, regional growth, spatial planning, water efficiency and last-mile delivery.
Done well, this would support better environmental outcomes. It would help infrastructure get built faster. It would support innovation in new connections.
Most importantly, it would help deliver the new homes and communities the country needs.
