June 8, 2014
Ecology, Environmental Design, Infrastructure, Landscape Architecture
A new planning advice note has been prepared as part of the Cambridge Natural Capital Leaders Platform ‘Sink or Swim’ Water Collaboratory. The advice note has been produced to explain the importance of water issues to planners and to highlight the benefits of getting involved in partnerships to manage water.
Links to advice note and case studies:
The planning advice information on integrated water management provides ‘a one-stop-shop to de-mystify water management and demonstrate the benefits of building it into plans and planning decisions’. The note is aimed at planners but is useful across a number of disciplines involved in the design and planning process to communicate how planning for water management and biodiversity is something that needs to be addressed at all scales. The note provides explanations of collaborative solutions for addressing water management issues. By explaining how integrated catchment management works the note can help planners, clients and consultants understand who is involved with the decision making process at each spatial scale.
The guidance advocates a joined up and holistic approach to planning water management, through looking at the water catchment as a whole, integrating solutions with the enhancement of ecosystem services and working in partnerships to provide sufficient funding. It explains the role of planning policy in addressing climate change at National Level and through local plans and the role of the different government bodies and agencies. It also provides supplementary case studies which demonstrate a range of approaches to flood risk management.
Projects where live water courses or SuDS are involved always provide interesting challenges for environmental design and management professionals. In schemes where the management of water is a key element if not a driving force in shaping the principles of the development or intervention, having an awareness of catchment scale issues can be invaluable in achieving the desired site specific outcomes. Nicholas Pearson Associates is appointed to the Water and Environment Management (WEM) Framework for the Environment Agency and are involved in a number of water related or flood management and resilience schemes supporting project teams through our expertise in ecology and landscape, which have direct beneficial outcomes for the surrounding communities and the wider environment. We find collaborative working with consultants of multiple disciplines has been integral to designing and implementing effective solutions.
