Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to include measures to promote water sustainability and re-use in building regulations for the construction of new properties.
Answered by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist - Opposition Whip (Lords)
The Building Regulations 2010 Parts G & H include requirements relating to water efficiency and grey water harvesting. For new homes, statutory guidance for Part G of the Building Regulations includes a minimum standard for estimated water consumption set at 125 litres per person per day, and an optional standard of 110 litres per person per day, which may be adopted in water stressed areas at the discretion of the local planning authority.
In 2019, Government launched a consultation ( https://consult.defra.gov.uk/water/measures-to-reduce-personal-water-use/supporting_documents/Consultation%20on%20reducing%20personal%20water%20use%20FINAL.pdf ) on measures to reduce personal water use. The consultation considers whether the current minimum standard and the optional standard set through the Building Regulations should be changed. The consultation is now closed and the Government will respond in due course.