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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on updating planning guidance to require on-site water reuse and sustainable drainage in new developments.

In June this year, the Government introduced new national standards for sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), making clear SuDS should be designed to cope with changing climatic conditions as well as delivering wider water infrastructure benefits. This includes flood prevention and storm overflow reduction, offering reuse opportunities, reducing run off, and helping to improve water quality, amenity, and biodiversity. The standards should be used by local authorities when assessing applications for development which could affect drainage on or around the site, see paragraphs 181 and 182 of the National Planning Policy Framework.

The Government is working towards rainwater harvesting at development scale. This includes supporting Ofwat with environmental incentive payments to developers for including rainwater systems in homes, reviewing the role of rainwater harvesting within water efficiency standards in the Building Regulations 2010 and the regulations relating to the management of dual pipe reuse systems for rainwater to be used in toilet flushing.