At the end of July, government announced the price list for statutory biodiversity credits and they are pretty eyewatering – but what lies behind this and what are the implications?
From November this year – the precise date is still to be announced – or spring next year for smaller projects,…
Latest Water & Floods News
Bam, Kier and Stantec to deliver Belfast Wastewater Treatment Works upgrade
NI Water has awarded an early contractor involvement (ECI) contract to Kier-Bam joint venture and Stantec for the delivery of the Belfast Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) upgrade.
Contained within a 180,000m2 site at the Duncrue Industrial Estate, the Belfast WwTW was designed to serve a population equivalent of 290,000. The city's…
Contractors alerted to £300M opportunity on Thames flood scheme in Surrey
The Environment Agency and Surrey County Council have alerted suppliers to a future opportunity to be construction partner on the River Thames Scheme in a contract worth £300M.
The scheme will see works undertaken between Teddington and Egham along the River Thames in Surrey, one of the largest areas of undefended…
Technology is key to modernising 19th century water infrastructure
Across the globe, the infrastructure supporting water – delivering clean water and collecting wastewater - was laid in many instances over 100 years ago. This aging system, which supports access to one of humanity’s most critical resources, remains a key source of system disruptions.
Globally, more than 45Mm3 of water are lost per…
£7M concrete flood alleviation wall inaugurated in Rotherham
Construction of a £7M, 125m long concrete flood defence wall has been completed in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
A key project in South Yorkshire’s wider Rotherham Renaissance Flood Alleviation Scheme (RRFAS), the wall runs between the railway and the South Yorkshire Navigation Canal from Ickles Lock to Centenary Way in Rotherham town…
Haddiscoe accident report calls for more collaboration between organisations on railway flood resilience
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has called for Network Rail to work more collaboratively with the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and Scottish local authorities to ensure that railway-related flood risk is managed appropriately.
The recommendation comes as part of RAIB’s report into the embankment washout under a passenger train…
Future of Floods | Is England’s planning system ready for mandatory SuDS?
Surface water management will improve with sustainable drainage systems becoming mandatory for new developments, but what regulatory structure is needed to make it work?
The frequency and severity of extreme flooding in the UK has increased in recent years as a result of climate change, but until recently there has been…
Cambridgeshire welcomes reservoir construction acceleration but criticises housing plans
Cambridgeshire authorities have welcomed intentions to accelerate the construction of the new Fens reservoir but have reservations about the overall plans for house building in the city of Cambridge.
Announced on Monday 24 July by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), the long-term plan for housing is intended…
Changes to planned pipeline could delay delivery of Portsmouth Water’s Havant Thicket Reservoir
Portsmouth Water has warned that design changes to a pipeline could result in delays to its £325M Havant Thicket Reservoir in Hampshire scheme. Civils firm Ward & Burke was last year appointed to deliver a 4.6km long bi-direction pipeline running from Bedhampton pumping station to the proposed artificial storage lake…
Government sets out five-year plan for boosting national resilience against climate change
The UK government has published its third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) which sets out its strategic five-year plan to boost resilience against climate change risks, which includes several measures to boost resilience of infrastructure assets.
The 2008 Climate Change Act requires the government to complete a Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA)…