The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has published the final version of the National Policy Statement for Water Resources Infrastructure following the outcome of its consultation on the draft NPS which ran between 29 November 2018 to 31 January 2019.
The aim of the consultation was to gather views on whether the draft National Policy Statement (NPS) provided an appropriate and effective framework for the Examining Authority - the Planning Inspectorate - and the Secretary of State to examine and make decisions on development consent order applications, for nationally significant water resources infrastructure in England.
The NPS will be used as the primary basis for examination by the Planning Inspectorate and also for making decisions by the Secretary of State in considering development consent applications for water resources infrastructure, including reservoirs, desalination plants and infrastructure designed to transfer water. Where a development does not meet the current requirements for a nationally significant infrastructure project set out in the Planning Act, but the Secretary of State considers the project to be nationally significant under the Act, the Minister may direct that the development should be treated as a development for which development consent is required. This could also apply to infrastructure types that do not meet the definition of a nationally significant infrastructure project for water resources.
The NPS sets out the Government’s policies and the need for the development of nationally significant infrastructure projects for water resources in England, including the provision of planning guidance for applicants.
It will now provide the framework for decision making on development consent applications for the construction of new, or the expansion of existing, water resources infrastructure in England or in waters adjacent to England.
Defra received a total of 45 responses to the consultation from key stakeholder groups such as water companies, environmentally focused non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local planning authorities as follows:
- 10 NGOs
- 8 regulators
- 7 water companies
- 6 local authorities
- 6 consultancies
- 4 individuals
- 2 government bodies
- 2 from water industry
The consultation document asked 5 questions relating to the draft National Policy Statement and 4 questions concerning the Appraisal of Sustainability and Habitats Regulations Assessment reports. Defra has published a separate document summarising the responses to the consultation and explaining how the Government has addressed the points that were raised by stakeholders.
Click here to download the National Policy Statement for Water Resources Infrastructure
Click here to download the summary document setting the responses to the consultation on the draft NPS and the Government response.
Sulzer has launched a new global Center of Excellence (CoE) for Water Treatment Solutions - the CoE consolidates Sulzer’s wastewater treatment expertise in a unified and global manner.
“SAS (Surplus Activated Sludge) is a bit weird and 
Owen Mace has taken over as Director of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) Plastic Pipes Group on the retirement of Caroline Ayres. He was previously Standards and Technical Manager for the group.
PureTec Separations, the Ledbury-based water treatment engineering firm, has appointed Dan Norman as its new Sales Manager – Water Process Systems, supporting the company’s continued growth in the UK and international markets.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.