The new Labour government has made perfectly clear its intention to get the UK building once more.

A manifesto pledge to deliver 1.5m new homes by 2029, was quickly followed just days after the election when Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a return to compulsory housebuilding targets and relaxation to planning and development. It was further reinforced in the King’s Speech which announced the ‘Planning and Infrastructure Bill’, aimed at accelerating housebuilding and infrastructure projects, thanks to a simplification in the planning process.

The intention is clear. Of course, the reality may be different, and we’ll only know in five years’ time whether the vision has been realised.

In parallel with these aims and ambitions, however, we’re entering the time of year when an increasing number of communities the length and breadth of the country will, unfortunately, experience flooding. For many it has already occurred.

A government report in 2023 estimated that, at that time, over six million people in the UK lived in flood prone areas. Whilst climate change is often cited as a key contributory factor in this respect, so too is poor infrastructure and increased development.

For the contractors charged with delivering new homes and other construction projects, the challenge is clear – meeting the government’s ambitious targets, whilst mitigating any adverse impact on surrounding communities.

There exists a significant responsibility on government in this respect to ensure that existing water management regulations are effectively and consistently understood, communicated and ultimately implemented. This clarity cannot be underestimated given its importance at an early stage of any new development, especially when set in the context of such ambitious targets.

Quite simply, effective water management is a vital component of the new government’s pledge to get Britain building.

When approached properly, in a time appropriate manner – there’s little point in closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, after all – effective water management has benefits far beyond the immediate area in which it is located. This means facing the issue head-on, rather than quite literally pushing it downstream. A properly managed and delivered new development should contribute positively to the wellbeing of the wider community.

Beyond simple solutions such as integrating gardens into all new housing developments to ensure an effective slowing of normal rainwater, sophisticated water management and attenuation systems have never been more important than they are today.

More houses, roads, and the associated infrastructure that comes with them, leads to an increase in impermeable surfaces, which in turn can reduce natural water infiltration into the ground, thereby exacerbating surface water runoff and increasing the risk of localised flooding.

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) help to slow down and control water flow, promoting infiltration, storage, and evaporation, and in doing so, reduce the burden on traditional drainage systems.

There is not, however, a one-size fits all solution and a thorough appreciation of which is the most appropriate solution for a given scenario is vital.

Attenuation systems (e.g., ponds, swales, and underground storage) are designed to temporarily hold stormwater and release it at a controlled rate. Engineered tree pits, meanwhile, not only add to the aesthetics of a development, they also increase canopy cover which is vital to rainfall management and help manage run-off within their soil volumes. Even pavements can play their part. Porous paving systems, when applied in conjunction with the necessary geotextiles and impermeable lining systems, can prove invaluable and flow rates through recycled plastic pavers can exceed traditional porous paving surfacing materials.

Civils & Lintels has invested significant time and resource into developing a full market understanding of the appropriate solutions on offer to those delivering new housing and other construction projects. This equips us with the knowledge to effectively support the construction sector as it is faced with balancing and delivering increased output, without any detrimental impact to the surrounding environment and communities.

We’ve built long-term relationships with market leaders including Polypipe and Wavin, amongst others, all of which are recognised for their expertise in a wide range of water management and flood alleviation solutions that are often the number one choice of architects, specifiers and contractors on a wide range of projects.

The flooding that we’ve witnessed in recent years is a clear indication that climate change is causing more frequent and extreme weather events and innovative solutions are required to cope with increased pressure on our existing drainage and water management network – especially at a time when it is likely to come under increased stress given the government’s construction targets.

Civils & Lintels is proud to not only partner with the leading manufacturers bringing forward those innovative solutions, but to also supply them to the contractors responsible for delivering the ambitious construction targets that lie ahead.

Together, we can avoid a perfect storm.