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Water Supply: Planning

Asked by Victoria CollinsLiberal DemocratDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 13 January 2026UIN 103039

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on giving Water Resource Management Plans and Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans formal weight in local plan-making and major planning decisions.

Answered by Emma Hardy

Government is currently consulting a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making, designed to make planning policy easier to use and underpin the delivery of faster and simpler local plans. The consultation includes a new chapter on securing clean energy and water, and a proposed plan-making policy requiring that engagement on development plans should take into account relevant infrastructure plans, including Water Resources Management Plans and Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans.

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