Climate Risk Report Warns Waverley Cannot Ignore Infrastructure Pressures

Waverley Liberal Democrats have warned that Government must take climate and infrastructure pressures far more seriously after the publication of the UK’s latest independent climate risk assessment.

The Fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment highlights growing national risks from flooding, extreme heat, drought, water shortages and pressure on infrastructure — warning that the country is still not adapting quickly enough to climate change.

For many residents across Waverley, these problems are already becoming reality through flooding, worsening congestion, sewage network problems, utility failures and growing pressure on roads and public services.

The report warns that infrastructure systems are increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather and “cascading failures”, where disruption to one service quickly impacts others. Waverley Liberal Democrats say this underlines why housing growth must be properly aligned with infrastructure capacity and climate resilience.

The Lib Dem led Waverley Administration has repeatedly called on successive governments to stop imposing unrealistic housing targets on areas where infrastructure is already under significant strain.

Liz Townsend, Lib Dem Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economic Development at Waverley Borough Council, said:

“Communities across Waverley and West Surrey are already seeing the effects of extreme weather and growing pressure on infrastructure. This report is a clear warning that planning for climate resilience can no longer be optional.”

“Government cannot continue imposing unrealistic housing targets on areas where roads, sewage systems and local infrastructure are already struggling to cope. That simply opens the door to speculative development and pushes already overstretched infrastructure closer to breaking point.”

“We are already seeing signs of infrastructure failure across the borough alongside the highest housing numbers we have ever faced. The two simply do not add up and risk creating even more costly problems in the future.”

Nationally, the Liberal Democrats have consistently called for housing growth to be properly linked to infrastructure delivery, alongside stronger action on sewage pollution, greater protection for rivers and the countryside, and faster action to tackle climate change.