BMA's Wastewater Knowledge-Sharing Roundtable

Our Roundtable brought together leaders from across the UK's water sector to explore the future of wastewater system planning.

At BMA's Wastewater Roundtable earlier this month, one of the most consistently raised themes across nine UK WaSCs was the need for a 'live plan'. The pressure is real — climate change, increasing investment demands, and evolving regulatory expectations mean that static planning simply cannot keep pace. So what does a live plan actually require?

• Data and modelling infrastructure that can be updated continuously, not rebuilt from scratch each cycle
• Decision-making frameworks agile enough to respond to new information without losing strategic coherence
• A shared understanding between planners, operators, and regulators of what "good" looks like annually — not just at submission.

The sector knows where it needs to get to. The challenge now is building the capability to get there at pace.

In this short video, participants share some of their reflections on these discussions and the opportunities ahead for the sector.

Thank you to everyone who contributed their insights and perspectives throughout the day.