Events News
It’s time to think not sink Wavin drives the wave of industry progress with The Future of Drainage
With millions of homes at risk of severe flooding with current drainage systems and industry take up inadequate, drainage systems manufacturer Wavin has made a call to arms for industry to join together to create a plan of action to secure the future of the UK.
As part of its new initiative, ‘The Future of Drainage’, which aims to promote ‘out of the box’ thinking around the connected (and growing) challenges posed by flood waters, climate change and urban development, Wavin hosted a thought- provoking panel event at ecobuild on 6th March, bringing experts together to explore how the industry can best forge ahead with, or without, government policy.
The initiative, created in conjunction with ICE and ecobuild, aims to get people involved, by contributing and joining the debate – and ultimately shaping the forward agenda. Chairing the panel discussion on the first day of ecobuild was Antony Oliver, infrastructure journalist, who was joined by Wavin’s Stormwater Management Product Manager, Martin Lambley, as well as Brittany Harris, Graduate Engineer with BuroHappold; Ian Titherington, Lead Engineer on Drainage for Cardiff Council; and Sue Illman, PPLI of Illman-Young Landscape Design (as well as CIC Champion for Flood Mitigation and Resilience and co-author of the CIRIA SuDS Construction Manual).
The discussion centred on the issue of pragmatism vs. policy - specifically looking at the barriers in the way of creating better government policy in this crucial area, what has created these barriers, and whether practical application can overcome
18 drain TRADER | April 2018 |
these issues and drive forward the implementation of adequate policy making.
The hour session was a lively meeting of minds between the panellists and a packed crowd of attendees at ecobulid’s Infrastructure District seminar area. It concluded with a resounding agreement that industry must continue to drive the momentum it has already gained to develop best practice and fill the place of government policy in the interim.
Martin Lambley, responsible for Wavin’s stormwater management products, said: “Flooding is a highly relevant and emotive topic for many – and growing as a mainstream issue. However the current narrative revolves around heightened reactions to catastrophic events and disasters, rather than on long term preventative approaches that aim to proactively tackle all sources of flooding.
“The panel event, as part of our Future of Drainage campaign, discussed that while we are seeing great development with the implementation of sustainable drainage systems in motorway developments and commercial projects, the public housing sector is rapidly falling behind. We agreed that there’s more we can do as an industry to collaborate with construction firms to introduce these sustainable systems from the very start of the planning stages, but we need to prove the longer term benefits.”
While some parts of the United Kingdom are starting to see sustainable drainage systems employed in larger housing developments – such as London, and Wales with Schedule 3 in action – many house builders are facing pressures that result in sustainable drainage being seen as an unnecessary spend.
Martin added: “The housing sector is under major pressure from the government to address the housing crisis and provide homes in massive volume, which means we’re seeing every square metre of space in these developments being used for housing. Some are starting to see the value of sustainable water drainage ponds and the like in their developments, but we must prove that these are more than ticking a ‘green’ box – they’re part of a long term investment in the health and wellbeing of not only the housing occupants, but the water management and quality that can have a great
www.draintraderltd.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
