Review of the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP)

Existing measures to remove abstraction licences have been subjected to strong drawn out legal challenges. This whole process is only to get more challenged with the likelihood of more environment protection intervention measures. Clearly the existing WENIP is driven by the regulatory CAMS process and has not delivered the environmental protection our rivers so need. So to deliver any significant environmental change, it requires stronger drivers within the catchment scale on abstraction. The proposed changes don’t mention this as specific requirements.

I believe the efforts being introduced by the focussed regional approach, should enable the long term ambition and needs. With outcomes from WENIP supporting the specific needs in the agreed regional plans. The is also a clear linkage between pollution and its dilution from available surface water.

It may seem a simplistic approach, but why not have a single regional plan that every stakeholder can work within. We have started this with the regional structural planning, why not use this as the baseline long term agreed plan.

We have some extremely challenging growth demands across England, this needs a long term strategic approach to infrastructure planning and delivery. These cannot be left to market demands on infrastructure.

If the regional planning groups prove to be a successful model, consideration must be made that long-term planning and needs for WINEP must align.

As above, it may seem a simplistic approach, but why not have a single regional plan that every stakeholder can work within or to the same timescales. We have started this with the regional structural planning, why not use this as the baseline long term agreed plan. Clearly some regional planning teams are more advanced than others, but it could be introduced in a phased timescale between PR24 and PR29

Current deployed natural solutions like the one piloted in West Norfolk, are limited in scale and not suitable to industrial scale treatment works. Should further study be undertaken on scalable industrial solutions, linked to agriculture use of semi treated highly nutrient waste water. Which other counties like Israel adopt.

As above a sound approach, but needs scalability.

It may well be the case that not all protected habitats can be secured if we continue wanting to support the growth of both population and growing the food it needs locally. The need for significant water storage reservoirs are a good example of this dilemma across East Anglian, but one 1000 hectare reservoir could save many 10 tens of other protected habitats further afield from over abstraction.

The local government development and regional planning needs to align to the needs of water infrastructure. Examples of this not currently working exists across East Anglian in both Cambridge and Norwich, let alone the Cam Ox Arc potential needs on water.

With regulatory support.

As stated previously, the delivery of a set of regional plans by Aug 2022 is the start of a new approach. The structure of such groups with their multiple stakeholder engagement and members, should be a basis of future regional and catchment planning, setting agreed assumptions and demands at the catchment scale. It should have defined 5 yearly targets for future WINEP’s to deliver against.

Any public benefit is worthy of co-funding.

Targets should be quite specific within the next WINEP period, with more generic measures meeting medium and long term ambitions and needs, aligned the agreed regional plan.