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Building Sustainable Homes

Creating a More Sustainable Future

We’re working in partnership with housing developers to ensure that the properties built today can withstand the challenges of tomorrow by creating water efficient and sustainable homes for a more resilient North West.

  • Our environmental incentives scheme aims to help you achieve a high standard of water efficiency performance and encourage the use of sustainable drainage systems.

    You may be eligible for our environmental incentives scheme if your development meets the criteria as set out here.

  • This scheme ended on 31 March 2024, for any new applications please see the Environmental Incentives scheme.

    Sustainable water infrastructure charge

    Qualifying criteria

    Demonstrate that properties are built with water efficient fittings and fixed appliances that mean water usage would not exceed the potential consumption of 100 litres per person, per day.

    Late or retrospective applications for the sustainable infrastructure charge cannot be accepted.

    Note that your site may be audited to verify the fixtures and fittings included in the application to ensure compliance. Should we establish through audit that the fixtures and fittings do not comply with the accepted calculator or specifications, we will notify you. Where a developer fails two audits in a 12 month period they will not be eligible to apply for the water sustainability scheme on any future developments for a period of 6 months from the date of the most recent failed audit.

    Sustainable sewerage infrastructure charge

    Qualifying criteria

    Demonstrate that properties are built with no surface water connection to the public sewer, the surface water will need to drain to either a watercourse or an infiltration system. This will need to be via a private or adoptable sewer network, and not through an existing public sewer.

    Please note, you may be audited to verify your application.We reserve the right to remove the sustainable water and or wastewater infrastructure schemes should we decide to do so.