Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 28 October (HL Deb col 1009) and 20 November (HL Deb col 259), what are the cumulative effects and regulatory burdens they have identified in relation to flood prevention measures such as sustainable drainage systems.

There are many requirements that developers must comply with when designing and building new developments. For example, developers must provide funding for schools, hospitals, and other local infrastructure projects among other things.

The cumulative impact of these requirements could render some developments unviable for developers, if unchecked. The Government must be mindful of these concerns at this time, during one of the most acute housing crises in living memory.

The Government is considering how to achieve our ambitions on sustainable drainage while being mindful of the impact on developers and to ensure that we are achieving environmental protections whilst also deliver much-needed housing.