London scoping - ukcip

Final Report
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groundwater storage could be reduced in this way, moving the system towards single year
criticality (ibid.).
Adjusting to climate change requires a fully balanced and twin track strategy with actions to
manage demand, reduce leakage and provide additional sustainable resources. Adjustments to
water shortages at the household level might involve water conservation measures (such as
installation of devices in toilet cisterns), use of water butts in garden, metering and tariff
development, re-use (rainwater or grey water). In the commercial sector recycling of water in
appropriately scaled commercial developments and pressure and flow management for taps in
commercial premises. A more radical response could be the installation of water storage tanks
in properties, though this would obviously carry with it high costs in terms of installation and
redesign of properties which have been built without water tanks.
When considering flooding, the vulnerability of housing to floods is partly a function of its
design and the materials used. Modern housing is more vulnerable to flood damage because of
the greater use of chipboard floors, dry wall plasterboard, cavity insulation and so on, and
design features such as lower thresholds to improve access (ABI 2002).
A pertinent question from the social impacts workshop for this study was just how many times
households and individuals would need to be subjected to water shortages or to flood events
before they would respond by, for example, installing water conservation measures, water tanks,
or making the design of their homes more flood-proof. It was asked whether there is any
empirical evidence of behavioural change at the household level in response to floods. We have
not been able to find any empirical evidence on this question, though the Environment Agency
is engaged in a research project on public perceptions of flooding and risk communication
which may provide such information in due course.
Another interesting stakeholder point raised in the social impacts workshop was the provision of
information on flood risk and subsidence risk to home owners and residents. It was pointed out
some communities would be better at finding out information on flood risk than others. The
agencies involved in house conveyancy would probably not bring issues such as flood risk to
the attention of potential buyers, and hence some pro-active investigation and questioning by the
buyer would be needed. Such a system suits the more affluent white-collar professionals than it
does the socially excluded. Hence, the institutional mechanism for providing information can
itself contribute to social inequity. A further twist here, however, is that those agencies who
provide information on flood risk may find themselves liable to legal challenge on the basis that
such uncertain information is affecting house prices.
6.8.3 Temperature Change Impacts
London contains a wider range of housing types than most UK cities, reflecting the greater
disparity of incomes. While some live in fuel poverty (generally defined as spending more than
10% of income on fuel), for others fuel bills are of no consequence. Future changes in
London’s climate will affect different dwelling types in different ways, and have varying
economic impacts on households. This section considers some of these impacts, firstly for
heating which all homes need, and secondly for cooling which is at present used in only a small
minority of homes.
For poorly heated buildings, including dwellings of those in fuel poverty, much of the reduction
in heating demand will be taken in increased comfort; cold bedrooms will be less cold, living
areas will be warmer. The heating season will also become shorter, with people turning heating