This week, we presented our preliminary findings from Bricks and Water 2, our forthcoming inquiry on property resilience for new and existing homes.  This formed part of our final evidence session, which once again brought together water companies, civil servants, housebuilders, academics, and third sector organisations.  The event was kindly Chaired by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering.

Our inquiry will include recommendations for:

Water efficiency: Introduction of a nationwide Per Capita Consumption (PCC) target, set by DEFRA and mandatory water labelling for all fixtures, fittings and water using products.

Sustainable drainage: Wider uptake of SuDS that provide multi-functional benefits (managing water quantity, improving water quality, promoting biodiversity, and providing amenity for residents).  Ending the automatic right for developers to connect to the surface water drainage system.

Property flood resilience: Provision of information on the risks from flooding and eligibility for the FloodRe scheme as part of the conveyancing process.  Accelerating the uptake of property flood resistance measures in both new and existing homes.

The roundtable also included contributions from three expert speakers:Gideon Richards, chief executive of Consulting With Purpose set out five attributes of a successful certification scheme.  Martin Townsend, global head of sustainability and circular economy at BSI highlighted the importance of demonstrating value to consumers and weighed the advantages and challenges of voluntary versus mandatory uptake.  Dr. Ana Mijic from Imperial College's CAMELLIA Project advocated for community engagement as part of any new intervention and raised the importance of prototype testing.