Water and Effluent Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/660592
8 WET NEWS APRIL 2016 INTERVIEW " We have a number of projects where, for want of someone putting their hand in their pocket, a scheme could be delivered. But at the moment they're stalled because that's not happening," says Jon Robinson, a director at AECOM working in the water sector. Venting his frustration over the challenges concerning partnership funding for € ood defence, Robinson says: "At the moment the problem is that partnership funding is very one dimensional. It's 'we need a € ood scheme here, is there a housing estate that's going to bene… t, who's the builder, let's ask them if they've got any money'. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't [invest]. "If they don't, or they don't get planning or they're not building as many units as they'd hoped then overnight the funding you thought you had can disappear. That's not the way to deliver something as fundamental as € ooding infrastructure. You can't hinge on whether or not a given developer can come up with some money." WET News caught up with Robinson recently at AECOM's oŒ ces in Basingstoke and discovered why the private sector would be glad to contribute to € ood risk management; and why the water companies "could" play more of a role in € ood defence. Continuing with the funding theme, Robinson believes a more focused delivery model is needed to encourage investment from "bigger players". He explains: "There are a number of companies who would be interested in that design build, … nance, operate model within € ood risk management, and it's something we should be looking very hard at. "If we have to get funding from the market outside of government then you have to get bigger players involved who can commit for longer timescales, and who want to. Bigger corporates who might want to be involved in longer-term operation and maintenance contracts." Robinson says the government does need to be releasing more money but stresses "the reality is to deliver as many schemes as we're going to need to really make a di" erence", the private sector will have to contribute. "I think the private sector Jon Robinson, director water, civil infrastructure, AECOM The government must release more money for flood risk management but the private sector also needs to contribute