This was a supporting detail page of the main policy document.
Thames Tideway Tunnel London’s sewerage network was built in the 19th century. The capital’s population then was 4 million. It’s now over 7 million, and the network is almost at full capacity. As a result, currently around 20 million tonnes of untreated waste water overflows into the River Thames in London each year. This has significant environmental effects: it kills large numbers of fish and causes health risks for river users. On 12 September 2014 the Secretaries of State for Communities and Local Government and for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs gave permission for the Thames Tideway Tunnel project. This permission took the form of a development consent order made under section 114 of the Planning Act 2008. Full information on the decision, including the Planning Inspectorate Examining Authority’s report, is available on the Planning Inspectorate’s web site. The tunnel project is sponsored by Thames Water plc. In June 2014, Ministers specified the tunnel project under the 2013 Specified Infrastructure Projects Regulations. This requires Thames Water to get an independent company to finance and build the bulk of the tunnel. It is done through a competitive tender process. Thames Water has started the process and is expected to have awarded the contract by mid 2015. Construction of the tunnel is scheduled to start in 2016 and finish in 2023. The need for the tunnel was set out in the government’s National Policy Statement for Waste Water issued in 2012. You can read more about the Thames Tideway Tunnel on Thames Water’s website. Ownership of private sewers On October 1 2011 the Water Industry (Schemes for Adoption of Private Sewers) Regulations 2011 became law. This meant that the maintenance of private sewers connected to the public sewer network on 1 July 2011 became the responsibility of the water and sewerage companies. The transfer means customers now have a regulated company responsible for maintaining and repairing the sewers attached to their property. These companies have to work to minimum standards overseen by Ofwat. The change also means:
householders are no longer charged for repairs on pipes they didn’t realise they owned
planning for the future is easier as we know who owns every sewer that connects with the network
all maintenance on sewers is now overseen by Ofwat, and consumers can turn to Ofwat if they have problems
New sewers We’re planning to make all new sewers for new properties and re-developments the responsibility of the water and sewerage companies. The powers to make this change are set out in section 42 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.. When implemented, it will mean that new sewers from new properties will be owned and maintained by the appropriate water and sewerage company. The act also allows building standards to be set for new sewers. We consulted on this policy in 2012. Defra intends to implement section 42 of the act at the earliest possible opportunity. We will continue to look for evidence to support the implementation of the policy, including the impact on business. Surface water flooding We’re making plans to reduce surface water flooding. Surface water flooding happens when rainfall doesn’t soak into the ground, but flows rapidly into the sewer system instead. This can lead to flooding. The worst effects are often in built-up areas where much of the ground is covered with non-porous materials such as concrete. Around 2.8 million people in England and Wales are at risk from surface water flooding. We’re planning to increase the use of sustainable drainage systems (commonly known as SuDS) to reduce surface water flooding. Sustainable drainage systems help by slowing the rate at which areas flood and by reducing the amount of surface water entering sewers. Examples of sustainable drainage systems include:
using surfaces such as gravel or permeable (porous) paving blocks to allow water to soak into the ground
using basins or ponds to reduce the amount of water that flows away
We asked for views on proposals to increase the number of sustainable drainage systems in England. Our response was published on 18 December 2014. In the light of this, we set out in a statement to Parliament changes to planning that will apply for major development from 6 April 2015. We send out regular SuDS newsletters. If you want to be added to the mailing list, please email SUDS@defra.gsi.gov.uk.