AECOM has published a paper entitled ‘Visioning a Water Sensitive Yorkshire’ that identifies a more sustainable response to urban and rural water management in Yorkshire.

 The paper is the outcome of a workshop hosted by AECOM  which took place in May this year when key organisations within Yorkshire came together to discuss Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) and develop a vision for a water resilient future for Yorkshire. Participants included Yorkshire Water, City of York Council and the Environment Agency.

WSUD is an approach that can meet today’s water challenges by integrating water cycle management with the built and natural environment through planning and urban design. 

The Vision gives greater priority to water management considerations at the earliest stages of development and regeneration to provide resource security and future resilience to the impacts of climate change.

The document sets out the combined view of the workshop participants on how integrated, smart and sustainable approaches to water management can be developed to mitigate the fluctuating challenges of flooding and water shortages and reinvigorate the community’s connection with water.

The publication highlights approaches to WSUD from a variety of stakeholder perspectives and addresses the drivers and blockers to achieving a water sensitive Yorkshire.  It also outlines water sensitive design elements that Yorkshire could adopt to enhance water conservation, management of runoff and water quality. 

Commenting in the paper,  Steve Wragg, Flood Risk Manager, City of York Council said:

 “Lead Local Flood Authorities, in collaboration with their planning teams, must ensure their region is “future-proof” and have a long term sustainable future. WSUD should be central to good place making, providing shade and shelter through effective planning; WSUD can also regain and provide new character to an area. Crucially, however WSUD will assist with urban cooling and discharging of increasing water – the two key impacts of climate change.”

Brian Smith, Drainage Strategy Manager confirmed Yorkshire Water’s approach: 

“Development of a WSUD approach cannot be considered or delivered in isolation. Partnership working, cooperation and collaboration are essential and Yorkshire Water will work with others to create a strategy that is all encompassing.”

 Matthew Jones, director for AECOM’s water practice in the North of England said that sharing examples of integrated water management and benefits it brings to the cities and towns of Yorkshire will encourage greater collaboration and facilitate faster adoption of a smarter approach to water management across the region.

AECOM is already successfully applying WSUD principles on new developments in the UK including the £1 billion North West Cambridge scheme where the firm is developing a pioneering water management strategy to capture and treat stormwater runoff from the site, using an integrated network of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). AECOM has also demonstrated how WSUD principles can be applied to existing development in its work for Thames Water as part of the wider Counters Creek Flood Alleviation scheme.

 As part of its drive to encourage the adoption of WSUD principles across the country, AECOM is also replicating its work in Yorkshire and working collaboratively with key water stakeholders in the South West.

Click here to download ‘Visioning a Water Sensitive Yorkshire’