Forums hosted by Welsh Water explored ways to support the economy through new development and growth and to identify opportunities to overcome the current development challenges faced, have been positively received by those that attended.
The forums, hosted by the not for profit utility company, enabled constructive conversations to take place about how we can all collaborate more, as well as how Welsh Water in their role as a statutory consultee can work to assist with some of the challenges faced by Local Planning Authorities when considering new planning proposals .
Approximately 55 individuals from Local Planning Authorities spanning North and South Wales, and some areas of England, attended Welsh Water’s Local Planning Authority forums in St Asaph and Cardiff. These forums provided updates on key priority topics, such as explaining how Welsh Water is working collaboratively with other stakeholders to identify opportunities to help unlock the hold on new developments in the riverine Special Areas of Conservation across Wales and Herefordshire.
Other key topics the company provided updates on included how they are actively identifying sustainable short and long-term solutions to surface water management, and how it can further support the implementation of sustainable drainage on development sites, as well as the potential to remove surface water from entering Welsh Water’s wastewater sewers.
Feedback on the forum was positive, with 100% of attendees rating it as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.
Ian Wyatt, Director of Business Customer Services at Welsh Water said: "We’re proud of our strong track record when it comes to engaging with our customers. It was great to host our Local Planning Authority Forums, alongside our regular bi-annual Developer Forums, as we need to ensure our collective support for development whilst continuing to protect our customers and the environment. As this plays such an important role with the wider economy and the current challenges faced regarding Special Areas of Conservation, we must make sure to work collaboratively and this is an ideal opportunity to gain insight into how we can best work with Local Authorities to achieve the outcomes that everybody is looking for. We'd like to thank all of those who attended and contributed to make the forums a success."