Memorandum submitted by Blueprint for
Water (FL 91)
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 In 2006, a coalition of organisations
concerned with the health of our water environment came together
to set out ten steps needed by the Government and its agencies
in order to restore the health of our waters by 2015—the
"Blueprint for Water"[25].
1.2 The vision of the Blueprint for Water
is to secure water supplies, enhance biodiversity, maximise social
and economic benefit and improve resilience to climate change
by protecting and restoring the ecosystem function of catchments,
wetlands and water bodies; managing demand to meet environmental
limits; and making those who damage the water environment bear
the costs.
1.3 Wildlife and Countryside Link (Link)
currently provides the secretariat for the Blueprint for Water
campaign. Link brings together 40 voluntary organisations concerned
with the conservation and protection of wildlife and the countryside.
Our members practice and advocate environmentally sensitive land
management, and encourage respect for and enjoyment of natural
landscapes and features, the historic environment and biodiversity.
Taken together, our members have the support of over 8 million
people in the UK.
1.4 We call on Government to take bold action
to tackle flooding and welcome the opportunity to submit our concerns
and suggestions to this inquiry.
1.5 This document is supported by the following
organisations:
— Anglers' Conservation Association
— Association of Rivers Trusts
— Buglife—Invertebrate Conservation
Trust
— Herpetological Conservation Trust
— Pond Conservation: The Water Habitats
Trust
— Royal Society for the Protection
of Birds (RSPB)
— Salmon & Trout Association
— Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)
— Zoological Society of London (ZSL)
2. SUMMARY OF
KEY STEPS
TO SUSTAINABLE
WATER BY
2015 OF RELEVANCE
TO THIS
INQUIRY
2.1 Retain water on floodplains and wetlands
— By 2007, local planning authorities
should no longer be able to automatically approve major development
in floodplains.
— By 2010 Defra and DCLG must stop
supporting uneconomic drainage and defence of agricultural land.
— By 2012, the Environment Agency should
begin a national programme of large-scale floodplain restoration
to enhance biodiversity and reduce flood risk.
2.2 Support water friendly farming
— By 2007, Defra should commit to funding
a sustained national programme of support, training and advice
for farmers, building on the Catchment Sensitive Farming Programme.
— By 2008, Defra and the Treasury must
fully fund the Environmental Stewardship Scheme to reward farmers
for improving water and soil quality at a catchment scale without
compromising existing biodiversity.
2.3 Clean up drainage from roads and buildings
— By 2007, DCLG must reform planning
guidance and building regulations to make Sustainable Urban Drainage
Systems (SUDS) the standard method of disposing of surface water.
— By 2009, DCLG and Defra must decide
who is legally responsible for the construction and maintenance
of SUDS.
3. RATIONALE
3.1 This summers flooding has brought the
dynamic relationship between the environment and man into sharp
focus. In those areas that bore the brunt of weather the impacts
on people, property and local economy has been devastating. Wildlife
has also suffered as the last fragments of wetland habitat have
disappeared under deep water, leaving breeding birds and mammals
nowhere to escape to.
3.2 As recent events have shown, flood defences
cannot provide an absolute fix for flooding or flood risk. Although
hard engineering will continue to play a role in protecting communities,
there is also a need to look at how we manage our rivers and their
catchments from source to sea. In rural areas this could mean
managing soils so they can absorb and store water, reducing the
efficiency of arterial drainage so water is held on the land,
reversing the impacts of soil compaction, creating on-farm ponds
and wetlands that store water, and restoring the natural form
and structure of rivers and floodplains so that they hold water
back and reduce the "flashiness" of flood events.
3.3 Even though such measures may never
prevent flooding during extreme events, they can reduce risk by
slowing the generation and movement of flood peaks. Even one or
two hours can be vital in buying time for flood forecasters to
issue warnings and for communities to respond. Rather than simply
focusing upon hard engineering dictated by economic imperatives,
Government should divert more funding into land management measures
that benefit communities throughout a catchment, including those
that would traditionally struggle to qualify for flood defence
infrastructure under the priority score system. Only then will
Government be able to meet other commitments to improve water
quality, wildlife and amenity under its sustainable development
agenda.
3.4 This summers flooding has also highlighted
the importance of urban planning and building design in mitigating
risk. There is a need to redouble efforts to limit development
on areas of high flood risk, design urban landscapes to store
floodwater rather than surcharge sewers and make buildings more
resilient to floods so households and businesses can recover more
quickly.
3.5 In fairness, Defra has acknowledged
many of these issues in Making Space for Water[26],
their flood risk management strategy. However, a huge gap remains
between the stated aims and objectives of the strategy and delivery
on the ground. The "portfolio of responses" discussed
in the strategy remains an aspiration, leaving public investment
locked into provision of hard defences even if more cost-effective
alternatives exist. At the same time, communities and businesses
that do not qualify for defences can be offered flood warning
but will become increasingly vulnerable in the face of climate
change.
Blueprint for Water
Wildlife and Countryside Link
September 2007
25 See www.blueprintforwater.org.uk for more details. Back
26
See http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/policy/strategy.htm Back
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