13/03/2006 - The environment
needs to be at the centre of plans for future
development in the south east of England,
the Chairman of the Environment Agency,
Sir John Harman, said today. Speaking at
the Chartered Institute of Housing’s 17th
South East Regional Conference in Brighton,
Sir John Harman said previous decades of
unsustainable development had placed significant
pressure on the environment.
"Development is not always bad for
the environment, as long as it is in the
right place, well designed and built and
supported by the right infrastructure,"
Sir John Harman said.
"Without planning for water supply
and sewerage, waste disposal and flood risk
management, communities simply cannot function.
"Current infrastructure in the south
east of England is struggling to cope with
the existing level of demand, and careful
planning is needed to accommodate the proposed
number of new houses.
"If development goes ahead in the
locations identified in the Government’s
South East Plan, existing wastewater treatment
facilities will be put under significant
strain and water demand will be 20% higher
then water companies have planned for in
their current 25-year plans.
"Homes must also be located away from
unacceptable flood risk. We welcome the
Government’s current planning policy review
on development and flood risk and acknowledgement
that the Environment Agency should have
an enhanced role in advising local government
as a statutory consultee on flood risk.
"Timing is crucial. The right infrastructure
has to be put in place at the right time,
and whatever the final number of new houses
to be built, it is clear that development,
if not delivered sustainably, will inevitably
impact on the environment, the quality of
life and the region’s economy."
In his speech today, Sir John Harman highlighted
pressures on the environment, including:
The generation of 4.5 million tonnes a
year of municipal waste, with less than
a quarter being recycled and most of it
going to landfill
The impact of the drought on water resources,
where 11.8 million people in the south east
face hosepipe bans next month
Ageing infrastructure, which sees 12 million
tonnes of untreated sewage being discharged
into the River Thames every year and 100
litres of water per household lost to leakage
every day
The impact of climate change, which could
see a significant increase to the risk of
flooding from rivers and the coast, a reduction
in summer rainfall, more droughts and less
water for people and the environment.
Ends
