NWG’s business plan for 2025-30 includes a customer driven approach for Improving water environments.
Under WINEP, or the Water Industry National Environment Programme, this business-wide commitment to improving our bluespaces covers both our Northumbrian Water (NW) and Essex & Suffolk Water (ESW) operating and supply areas and beyond. This will help us achieve our ambitious goals to be leading in environmentally friendly catchment management and to have the best rivers and beaches in the country.
The Bluespaces scheme allows us to work with our environmental partners to support, delivery of, contribute to and facilitate customer-focused improvements to accessible areas of the water environment – streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, wetlands, beaches, coastlines and more.
By focusing on areas of water environment that the public can get to, we can deliver improvements which are visible and make a difference to individuals and communities, as we continue to raise awareness of partnerships working to improve the water environment in our regions.
In order for a km of improvement to be recorded, actions must impact accessible areas of the water environment, and be implemented across at least two of the following categories:
- Access, facilities & recreation;
- Wildlife & biodiversity;
- Water quality.
After a feasibility project, undertaken from September 2020-May 2021, we set up a scheme for identifying, developing and including water environment improvement projects in our plan.
Funding awarded under this scheme from 2020-2025 was in relation to a regulatory deliverable and performance commitment for which NWG was required to report to an external governance group.
This external assurance was provided by the Water Environment Governance Group (WEGG) and is now provided by the Bluespaces Governance Group.
For more information or to discuss any aspects of this, please email us at bluespaces@nwl.co.uk