Meet our blogger:
Matthew Hardwick
Likes: Football, golf, tennis, travelling the world and socialising with friends. .
Interests: Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, sport, and sustainable solutions.
Matthew is a chartered water and environmental scientist at Royal Haskoning. He has several years experience in the field of flood risk management, with specialist skills in fluvial geomorphology, surface water management, SuDS design, catchment management and R&D.
Much of his work has been multi-disciplinary in nature involving links with hydrologic and hydraulic modelling, biological and habitat surveys, at both a strategic and scheme level. Matthew has managed a range of projects, including Strategic Flood Risk Assessments, Catchment Flood Management Plans, and R&D studies, for a variety of clients including the Environment Agency, Local Authorities and academic institutions.
Contact
Matthew Hardwick
m.hardwick@royalhaskoning.com
+44 (0)1733 336 550
New Government, new start?
Thursday 10 June 2010 at 3:58 pmAs we welcome in a coalition Government there was a very definite feeling of ongoing uncertainty at the recent Surface Water Management conference in London, with many people questioning the strategic implications of the Flood and Water Management Act (FWMA) now that we’re in the post-election, post-Bill phase. It became clear that many stakeholders feel like we’re entering an interim phase, where they are trying to understand the issues they face and the best way to move forward.
Can this be achieved through new coalitions and partnership working? Key issues raised were: (more)Is Surface Water Management an opportunity or challenge?
Wednesday 09 June 2010 at 4:21 pm After attending the Surface Water Management Conference in London last week, it’s clear that many people are still dubious as to how far the new Flood and Water Management Act goes to enforce the use of SUDS and ensure there is a ‘Paradigm shift’ in the way we deal with surface water problems. (more)PRESS RELEASE: Fola Ogunyoye appointed chair of CIWEM Rivers and Coastal Group
Wednesday 26 May 2010 at 4:01 pm
Fola Ogunyoye has been appointed chair of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environment Management (CIWEM)’s Rivers and Coastal Group, at its Annual General Meeting on Thursday 13 May.
A member of the group for 15 years and an active member of the committee for the past six years, Fola is Royal Haskoning’s fourth representative to be appointed chair of the group.
(more)Enacted!
Friday 09 April 2010 at 5:39 pmThe Flood and Water Management Bill has made it through Parliament’s ‘wash up’ of legislation before the General Election, and yesterday received Royal Assent; it now becomes the ‘Flood and Water Management Act 2010’.
We’ve summarised before some of the key changes made as the Bill progressed through Parliament (my blog of 25 February), and as it had already been through the bulk of the Parliamentary process, very few further changes were made this week.
(more)
New Flood Risk Management roles for Local Authorities
Thursday 01 April 2010 at 4:48 pmI recently attended an interesting event at Sheffield University, which was hosted by John Blanksby from the Pennine Water Group, on behalf of the Yorkshire and Humber Learning and Action Alliance (YHLAA) for flood risk and water management. The meeting looked at the new flood risk management roles that Local Authorities will be taking on. This follows the Flood Risk Regulations, which came into force on 10 December 2009, and the Flood and Water Management Bill, which continues to make its way through the parliamentary process (due for its third reading in the House of Lords next Tuesday, 6th April).
The YHLAA brings together local authorities across Yorkshire and Humber, facilitating discussion of common issues and new developments in the flood risk management industry, and allowing them to share ideas and best practice. Papers were presented by a variety of speakers and, as always with these events, the open debate generated was a useful insight into the issues that are concerning Local Authority engineers.
(more)What will a General Election mean for surface water management policy?
Thursday 18 March 2010 at 4:39 pm The prospect of the General Election has us wondering what might happen to surface water management policy if each of the main political parties were to come to power. (more)To Bill or not to Bill?
Thursday 25 February 2010 at 12:51 pm The Flood and Water Management Bill was included in the Queen’s Speech in November 2009 and has since made significant progress through Parliament. With the House of Lords’ second reading taking place on Wednesday 24th February, only three stages remain before the Bill receives Royal Assent. However, with the lengthy timescales involved in the parliamentary process, there’s still a risk that the Bill won’t be passed into law before a General Election is called. (more)PRESS RELEASE: Royal Haskoning wins surface water management planning contract with Staffordshire councils
Wednesday 24 February 2010 at 6:13 pmRoyal Haskoning has won a competitive bid to provide Surface Water Management Planning services and a Water Cycle Study for a consortium of Stafford, Lichfield, Tamworth and South Staffordshire local councils. The work, when completed, will inform the councils’ planning and urban development strategies for the next two decades by identifying areas at high-risk of surface water flooding. The study will also provide a thorough assessment of surface water flood risk and valuable forward planning information on water resource and sewerage capacity.
The decision to appoint Royal Haskoning was heavily influenced by the firm’s extensive flood risk management experience, in particular work with the Environment Agency, for whom Royal Haskoning provides National support on both the Strategic Flood Risk Mapping (SFRM) and National Engineering and Environmental Consultancy Agreement (NEECA) Frameworks. With surface water management only recently coming under the auspices of local authorities, the collaboration of these four councils represents one of the first concerted efforts into surface water flood management planning and will direct the course of the communities’ residential and commercial building, transportation, and other major infrastructural projects.
(more)What is a surface water management plan?
Wednesday 24 February 2010 at 5:55 pm A Surface Water Management Plan (SWMP) is a framework through which key local partners with responsibility for surface water and drainage in their area work together to understand the causes of surface water flooding and agree the most cost effective way of managing surface water flood risk. (Source: Defra) The aim of a SWMP is to:- bring together those responsible for water services
- improve and share understanding about sources, pathways and receptors of surface water flooding, and current and future risks
- enable better planning for sustainable development
- facilitate improved emergency planning and response
- enable the development of resilience of critical infrastructure
- identify and prioritise practical solutions to reduce surface water flood risk
- educate the public