Utility Week has reported that the Government’s affordable housing push has sparked a water efficiency inquiry. An expert group will investigate the sustainable resource management requirements for the government’s new housing ambitions.

An inquiry into the strategic planning and provision of water resources over the coming decade has been launched as the government pledges £2 billion to increase the supply of affordable housing.

The Westminster Sustainable Business Forum (WSBF) inquiry will evaluate how water and housing policy is currently being implemented in England.

It will be co-chaired by Labour MP Angela Smith, the former shadow water minister, and Conservative Peer Baroness Anne McIntosh, former chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) select committee.

The inquiry will set out an “ambitious strategic plan” for delivering water-efficient homes which are resilient to flooding, at volume.

An “expert panel of advisors” will guide the inquiry, including representatives from Anglian Water, Yorkshire Water, Thames Water, Affinity Water, the Wildfowl & Wetland Trust and the British Board of Agrément.

In a joint statement Smith and McIntosh, said: “Housing has become a pressing issue – we haven’t built enough houses in this country for a long time. Whilst we need to build more homes, we also must manage water sustainably and efficiently on a catchment-scale. Water is a precious resource and we must use it wisely.

“That is why we are co-chairing this Westminster Sustainable Business Forum Inquiry into water and housing, to offer a strategic plan to government for building the flood-resilient and water-efficient communities of the future.”

Jean Spencer, strategic growth and resilience director for Anglian Water, added: “We’re really excited to be partnering with the WSBF, and to be announced as the headline sponsor of the water in growth inquiry. For us, this group, and the work that it will be leading, provides us with an unparalleled opportunity to collaborate and engage with other businesses, politicians and stakeholder groups as we look to address the shared challenges we all face.”

“As we meet the challenges ahead, it is essential for us to champion, support and enable sustainable growth, whilst protecting the environment and maintaining affordability for our customers. To do this, we believe innovative growth solutions, like water-reuse and SuDS, will be essential, and if we can strike the right balance, we will be well on the road to achieving our ambition of Water Neutral Growth,” Spencer said.

Sajid Javid, secretary of state for communities and local government said between 275,000 and 300,000 homes a year are needed in England alone as the UK’s population is projected to reach more than 75 million by 2050. The current policy commitment from government is to build 1.5 million new homes by 2022.

WSBF is currently taking evidence as part of the inquiry. Written submissions must be made by 29 November 2017.

Severn Trent

Meanwhile, the same source reports that Severn Trent has launched a £30m developer fund for water efficient homes

The water company claims that the infrastructure charges discount scheme is the first of its kind.

Severn Trent has launched a £30m fund for “incentivised developers” to build more water efficient homes, to deliver “huge savings” to its developer customers.

The infrastructure charges discount scheme will help Severn Trent’s developer customers save money by building homes which use 110 litres or less of water per person per day (pppd).

The company has claimed to be the “first in the market” to launch such a scheme, adding that housing developers could save up to 100 per cent on their water and sewerage infrastructure charges.

Infrastructure charges are a one-off charge, charged by all water companies for first time connections. Each new connection, which adds a demand to the water and sewerage network will incur these costs.

Steve Betteridge, head of developer services at Severn Trent, said: “We’ve launched a new scheme to help our developers build water efficient homes by encouraging them to use certain fixtures and fittings, e.g. taps, baths, etc. which means that less water is used in the home.

“Anyone building a new home in the UK currently builds to a regulation standard of 125 litres of water pppd, however it is possible to build to 80 litres.  If our developers can show us that they have built to 110 litres or less of water pppd they could get a 100 per cent discount on the water infrastructure charge – meaning that they pay nothing.”

Developers can also qualify for either a 75 per cent or 100 per cent discount on the sewerage infrastructure charge by showing Severn Trent that a surface water connection is via a sustainable drainage system or that there is no surface water connection at all.

“This is a key driver in reducing the risk of flooding in homes and streets caused by excess surface water,” Betteridge said.

Speaking to Utility Week, he added: “We’re seeing around 20,000-25,000 new supply points added each year in Severn Trent’s region with new housing developments.

“We want to be able to influence developers to behave differently to reduce household usage and waste, as well as reduce the impact of flooding.

“Other water companies have trialled similar schemes in areas of high drought, but we want to influence across the whole of our patch.

“It’s a nice message for developers as they can save money and help protect the environment at the same time.”

Betteridge said the scheme has started to see a good take up since it was introduced in April.

“Currently it is only in the quoting stage with developers but around 40 per cent of customers would be taking it up for wastewater,” he said. “For water supply its lower with about 10 per cent but it is increasing and gaining momentum.”

Nicci Russell, managing director of Waterwise, described the scheme as “ambitious and innovative”.

She said: “Everywhere in the UK will have drought in coming years – and these droughts will be longer and more intense. We all need to waste less water now – and we should not be building homes that waste water. I’m delighted to see Severn Trent Water’s groundbreaking scheme.”

Speaking at Utility Week’s Congress event in Birmingham last month, Liv Garfield, chief executive of Severn Trent, said: “We have launched a scheme, which we think will really drive forward an innovation programme to increase house numbers.

“We’ve put £30 million into a fund for incentivised developers to build water efficient homes. By giving them infrastructure charges free they will build homes that use less than 110 litres of water per person per day.”

Garfield explained the company wants to be “truly ambitious” on water resources. She announced Severn Trent has set itself a challenge to internally reduce its water usage by 50 per cent through the next decade.

“We believe big bold ambitions like that create fresh thinking,” she said.