Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what further steps she is taking to help tackle surface water flooding; what steps her Department is taking to prevent new developments being automatically connected to existing sewers instead of developers being required to install improved drainage systems to new developments; and if she will make a statement.

Surface water flooding is localised and complex and is the responsibility of lead local flood authorities (LLFAs) to manage and mitigate. They do this in partnership with highways authorities and water companies. It is for LLFAs to determine the best approach to mitigating the risk.

The Government is also taking action. In July 2021 we restated our commitment to ensuring surface water flood risk is tackled and published a progress update on our Surface Water Management Action Plan and our response to the independent review into surface water and drainage responsibilities. Progress is being made on these, with over 60% of actions already complete.

The Government has reviewed making sustainable systems (SuDS) mandatory in new developments and the review was published on 10 January 2023. The Government accepted the review’s recommendation to mandate SuDS through implementing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. SuDS use features such as ponds, rain gardens and grass to absorb the rain and tanks and pipes to slow the flow to the sewer, reducing the risk of surface water and sewer flooding. Schedule 3 will also make the right to connect surface water to public sewers conditional on the drainage system being approved as meeting the mandatory sustainable drainage standards. This will help limit volumes entering drainage networks which will help ease the pressure on the sewerage system and mitigate flood risk. The Government is now considering how best to implement this in terms of scope, threshold, and process and there will be a public consultation later this year.