‘Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink...’

It was encouraging to see the continued support of Cambridge in the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s budget statement, which followed publication of the Cambridge 2040 vision last year. It also saw the latest release from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUC) ‘vision for transformation’ document.

Stakeholders are rightly questioning the deliverability of an urban quarter in just a couple of decades, which is three times the size of the existing City of Cambridge housing stock. The region is without doubt rapidly expanding, attracting innovative businesses which demand housing, amenities and infrastructure.

The infrastructure is a key planning consideration and arguably top of those priorities is water. It is hard to think of Cambridgeshire as one of the driest regions in the country after the torrential rains and local flooding of recent weeks. However, with no local reservoirs and a reliance on abstracting 99% of its water from the ground, the current infrastructure is clearly insufficient to meet these future housing plans. Such concerns are highlighted by the Environment Agency’s objection to plans for 9,000 new homes and 300,000m2 of commercial space due to a lack of a sustainable water supply.

It is recognised that proposed large infrastructure projects, such as a new Fens reservoir and a transfer pipeline from Grafham reservoir, will partially ease concerns over the medium to longer term. However, as a responsible developer, there are complementary solutions which can be adopted for improving the efficiency of usage and recycling of water in new homes.

In our ESG strategy we have committed to surpassing the Future Homes Standard of 110l/person (UK average currently 142l/person) on all This Land’s developments by 2025 and targeting lower in subsequent years. These standards will be achieved with the devices or appliances installed in the home and their flow rate, such as shower heads, cisterns, and so on, and are governed under Building Regulations, section G.

In addition to the homes themselves, the planning for Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) for surface water will ensure that the existing infrastructure is not overloaded, which is an equally important element of design planning. Our proactive management of surface water run-off seeks to mitigate flood risk, enhancing existing drainage and discharge. For example, our designs provide a minimum of a 20% betterment to the extant discharges for brownfield developments.

But solving our water challenge isn’t just a matter for developers and planners.? Without doubt, there are many ways in which households can reduce their water usage, installing smart meters, using rainwater for gardens, fixing leaks and installing more efficient equipment. It has also been estimated that organisations such as schools could save up to 3,100 litres per day by installing water saving measures, including sensor taps and boundary flow regulators. The highest water usage sectors are being assessed by government and regulators, and opportunities are being explored for voluntary and innovative solutions to support the implementation of efficient water practices.

The establishment of the government’s Water Scarcity Group is welcomed and will bring together relevant expertise and key actors, such as Cambridge Water, to find sustainable solutions.

Our regional water infrastructure shortage has now come to the fore due to the continued success and the attraction of working and living in the Cambridge area. It is therefore incumbent on all of us to collaborate on sustainable solutions to ensure the future growth and prosperity of the area, while protecting our environmental heritage.