Build October 2016 NEW

Build Magazine 66 Sustainability & Eco Peter Brett Associates LLP (PBA) is an independent practice of engineers, planners, scientists, and economists delivering major development and infrastructure projects. Our clients are at the centre of everything we do. We develop teams to work with our clients rather than for them, to understand their needs and drivers, and deliver solutions which create value for them and the communities in which they work. e are committed to furthering our industry, and support many professional institutions, present at global conferences and produce technical papers for leading publications. More than this however, we also take the lead in developing the agenda for key areas of the industry. For example, our chairman, Keith Mitchell, was the founding Chairman of the National Infrastructure Planning Association (NIPA) which plays a key role in developing the Planning Act regime for major infrastructure. Our flood management team works with public sector bodies like the Environment Agency to develop new flood defences and protect communities, and with developers and planners to help manage the risks associated with new development. Britain is exposed to a highly variable climate and it is difficult to ascribe trends to relatively short periods of data making it hard to determine whether recent events are normal infrequent floods or whether they form part of a wider trend. However, all the evidence suggests that we will be subject to more extreme weather events in the future. We cannot easily predict how much emissions will increase, how the climate will change or how this will impact flood risk through the hydrological cycle. However, we can be certain that much of our critical infrastructure and many properties are at risk of flooding and erosion and it is unlikely that this will reduce without significant intervention. At PBA we recognise that new development is required to satisfy ever increasing demand but we also understand that we cannot abandon existing Looking to the Future W communities to the impacts of climate change. So we aim to work collaboratively with developers and government agencies to facilitate sustainable development which can contribute to an overall reduction in risk. The Mayor of London’s recent move to pass the planning decision for Wimbledon Stadium back to the London Borough of Merton completes a lengthy planning process to create a new football stadium and 600 residential properties. PBA worked closely with key stakeholders to develop a scheme which satisfied flooding policy requirements by incorporating sustainable drainage systems and using a raised platform to create additional flood storage. There are many challenges ahead: Brexit, global financial uncertainty, climate change, shifts in the traditional political consensus are among them. However, at PBA we feel confident that there are many opportunities for businesses like ours to provide our personal brand of client- centred consultancy and to continue to develop value for our clients and our communities. Company: Peter Brett Associates Name: Paul Jenkin Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.peterbrett.com Address: Peter Brett Associates, Caversham Bridge house, Waterman Place, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 8DN Telephone: 01189520349 Flooding: Come Rain or Shine