Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the number of housebuilding developments currently delayed or blocked due to local water scarcity, and how the construction timelines of the nine planned reservoirs will align with the Government’s housebuilding targets.

Defra’s Water Delivery Taskforce brings together key partners, including MHCLG, to identify and resolve water constraints that risk delaying development. Where stakeholders identify water capacity issues constraining growth, the Taskforce acts to find solutions.

Water companies have a statutory duty to maintain secure water supplies and must plan for future housing through their Water Resources Management Plans. A record £104 billion is being invested between 2025 and 2030 in the water sector, including nine new reservoirs.