Bruce Horton: The Housing and Planning Bill also completed its progress through Parliament and is now an Act. It requires the government to review SuDS planning policy and councils to create registers of brownfield land with automatic planning consent. However, the final Act stops short of the amendments called for by CIWEM and others, including removing the automatic right to connect. The Lords proposed a series of amendments, supported by the water industry/sector, around SuDS, but they have been substantially weakened by the Commons, and the final Act only commits the government to a ‘review’ around SuDS. If you scroll down to the end (page 7) of this document, it sets out what seems to have happened. Click here:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/2015-2016/0123/16123.pdf