As part of its focus on adapting to a changing climate, Cabinet members agreed a revision to the Energy Infrastructure Policy to cover future projects needed to protect and maintain water resources, including reservoirs, pipelines and water recycling plants.
This new policy addition lays out how future water infrastructure projects will be managed and the council’s role with stakeholders, such as the water companies, Ofwat and the Environment Agency. It also sets out how the council will recover the money it has to spend in the planning process for infrastructure projects.
Richard Rout, Cabinet member for Cabinet Member for Finance and Environment, at Suffolk County Council, said:
“In order to adapt to the changing climate, Suffolk will need to host new infrastructure that is critical to safeguard our water supplies.
“Sufficient water supply is critical to so much of what we do here in Suffolk. It is something we take for granted – we all expect to turn on a tap and see water come out, but to secure that supply for the future, new infrastructure on a substantial scale will be essential.
“East Anglia has a huge role in delivering food security to our nation, and, for agriculture to be sustainable in our region, our farming community needs a guarantee that sufficient water supplies will be available.
“This supply is important for not only residential, business, and agricultural use, but also to protect and enhance the environment of Suffolk by supporting river levels and groundwater.
“The existing energy policy has been very successful in shaping the council’s response to new energy infrastructure and in guiding our engagement with applicants, regulators and government. This new addition will greatly enhance this policy and once again, shows how protecting and enhancing our environment is priority for Suffolk County Council.”
To reflect the changes, the policy has been renamed the Energy and Climate Adaptive Infrastructure Policy.
In February 2021, the Cabinet of Suffolk County Council adopted an Energy Infrastructure Policy, that set out the Council’s approach to major infrastructure projects for energy generation and transmission, with a particular focus on those consented under the Planning Act 2008, known as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
As part of that decision, it was agreed that the policy would be revised after two years.
