The National Framework explores the long-term water needs of different sectors in England and the capacity of the water environment to meet these. It identifies a range of actions needed to adapt to a range of future pressures.
Key long-term water resource planning issues include:
- Growth of the economy
- Housing growth
- The transition to net zero carbon
- Food security, and
- Data centres and artificial intelligence.
Without action to balance supply and demand there is a risk of environmental damage, low growth and interruptions to supply. The National Framework 2025:
- Sets out the pressures and the challenges for the water environment to 2055 and beyond
- Sets the ambition for a sustainable abstraction regime and a protected and improved water environment
- Explores potential new demands for water
- Sets greater ambition for integrated , joined up planning between water-using sectors and with drainage and wastewater planning
- Proposes actions and expectations for different sectors to rise to the challenge of planning for and improving water supply resilience, and
- Provides a steer for regional water resource planning groups to evolve and to continue to innovate.
National Framework 2025 documents can be found here:
Key documents for food and farming abstractors include:
- Graphical Summary (attached)
- How much additional water we need: National Framework for Water Resources 2025. This includes the following figures, showing the potential for widespread reductions in abstraction in Norfolk under current and future conditions:
© copyright Ordnance Survey 2023, OS OpenMap Local – OS Open Data. Open Government License. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2023
Waterbody level data on the potential reductions is given here:
https://environment.data.gov.uk/dataset/4347271e-4867-4c5a-a2ae-d4830b3eeb03
https://engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/environmentaldestination
The full list of National Framework 2025 reports includes:
Graphical Summary
Forward, executive summary and structure
Section 1: Introduction
Section 2: Current and future pressures on water resources
Section 3: How much additional water do we need
Section 4: Water availability
Section 5: Taking action – water for the environment
Section 6: Taking action – public water supplies
Section 7: Taking action – water for energy
Section 8: Taking action – water for food
Section 9: Taking action – other significant water using sectors and emerging demands
Section 10: Water resources planning and abstraction licensing
Section 11: Expectations of Regional Water Resources Groups
Section 12: Further evolution of water resources planning
Appendix A: regional water resources planning expectations
Appendix B: results of public water supply water resource modelling
Appendix C: Environmental Destination technical report
Appendix D: Environmental Destination principles for protecting the water environment in water resources planning
A summary of Section 8 (Taking action – water for food) is given in the Forward and reproduced here:
Secure and reliable water supplies are vital for food production, food security and to support the economy. We want to support the agriculture sector in effectively engaging in water resource planning and support the promotion of water abstractor groups.
In this section we cover the local resource option studies which look to create a pathway for the delivery of water resource solutions, such as sharing of water rights and multi-ownership reservoirs. We also set out the potential role of smart farming and how this technology can be used.
A research briefing note on the National Framework 2025 for the House of Commons Library can be found here:
Although elements of this have been superseded by the Cunliffe Report, this document provides a helpful (independent) summary of the material published for the National Framework 2025 as well as a list of further reading material.
