Flooding, rivers of low aesthetic value with poor water quality and a lack of green amenity space all diminish the urban environment and are know to impact the health and wellbeing of local people.

A holistic collaborative approach is needed to address these issues, cutting across a range of stakeholders including CaBA Partnerships, local businesses, water companies and, especially, Local Authorities. The CaBA Urban Water Group aims to drive this partnership approach and highlight the benefits from pooling resources and expertise.

There are a growing number of examples of collaborative projects between CaBA Partnerships and Local Authorities – including planning, highways and floods specialists – that have realised multiple benefits through interventions such as SuDS to reduce flood risk, improving water quality and providing green space for local communities to enjoy.

Examples of these collaborative projects and guidance for planners can be found here

Despite their strong economic focus, there is scope for Catchment Partnerships to engage and works with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) to ensure that growth supported through LEP funding is environmentally sustainable.

Examples of such collaboration including that of the Soar, where the catchment partnership has worked with the LEP and Leicester City Council to address flood risk through catchment management. Read more in the Guidance document.