Paul Curtis, Managing Director of Marshalls Water Management, discusses regulation, resilience and building climate-ready infrastructure for tomorrow
Could you share details of your career history and how you came to be in your current role?
I have worked at Marshalls for over 20 years, starting in the Commercial Landscaping sales team before taking on roles across the group. I was appointed Trading Director for our linear drainage business in 2018 and became Managing Director for Water Management in 2021, where I led the successful integration of Marshalls Drainage and CPM Group.
I currently sit on the Management Committee for MPA Precast and am a Board Member of the European Precast Federation, representing the UK precast sector in Europe, which involves industry work on matters such as EU construction policy, decarbonisation, construction standards and sustainability.
The UK is experiencing regulatory reform for water management. From your perspective, what will this overhaul mean for how we plan and invest in future infrastructure?
Paul Curtis, Managing Director of Marshalls Water Management
For many years, investment in water management has been reactive, addressing issues like flooding or pollution after they occur. We therefore welcome the regulatory reform which the UK is currently experiencing, which is the largest reform of water regulation since privatisation, and a clear shift towards a more proactive, long-term approach.
The Independent Water Commission’s July 2025 report recommended merging Ofwat, the Environment Agency, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and other bodies into a single regulator and establishing regional planning bodies to address the challenges the UK water infrastructure system currently faces.
What this means in practice is that infrastructure planning will no longer be about meeting minimum standards; it will be about building future-proof systems that can stand up to climate change, urban growth and tighter environmental targets. Design life expectations of 100 years or more, reduced carbon impact, and whole-life performance are becoming the benchmarks. This is encouraging for Marshalls as we have been investing in sustainable drainage systems, precast concrete attenuation and lower-carbon manufacturing for years.
With climate change intensifying flood risks and extreme rainfall, do you think our current approach to water management is resilient enough or does it need a more fundamental shift?
The current approach to water management is not resilient enough – there is an urgent need for a change in mindset around water and the climate. Investing in infrastructure that is fit for the future, as well as managing and protecting it at every stage of the design and construction process, will be essential.
The scale and pace of climate change mean that traditional methods of managing water — largely focused on moving it away as quickly as possible — are no longer sufficient. What is needed is a more fundamental shift towards integrated, sustainable systems that work with the environment rather than against it. That means designing for extreme rainfall as the norm and embedding sustainable drainage and natural flood management principles into every stage of planning and development.
How should regulation balance the urgent need for near-term flood protection with the longer-term goal of climate adaptation and resilience?
Regulation needs to do both; it needs to address today’s risks while keeping a clear eye on tomorrow’s challenges. It should encourage joined-up thinking: every pound spent on near-term protection should also be an investment in long-term climate resilience.
In the near term, communities need confidence that they are protected against flooding, so it is right that investment continues in proven, fast-to-deploy infrastructure. But if regulation focuses only on short-term fixes, we risk locking in solutions that will not stand up to the realities of climate change. The balance comes from embedding longer-term resilience into every near-term intervention. That could mean setting minimum standards for carbon reduction and design life or requiring that temporary solutions are scalable into more permanent systems.
How critical is long-term funding and policy certainty for unlocking innovation in drainage and flood resilience solutions?
Innovation does not happen overnight, it requires sustained investment in research, design, testing and deployment, making long-term funding and policy critical.
If policy signals are inconsistent or funding is short-term, companies hesitate to commit, and the sector ends up relying on incremental improvements rather than transformative solutions. By contrast, when the government and regulators set clear, long-term direction, it gives industry the confidence to invest in new materials, digital design and lower-carbon manufacturing.
From precast concrete attenuation systems to sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS), where do you see the most exciting opportunities for innovation and what’s holding back faster adoption?
The most exciting opportunities lie in making drainage systems smarter and more sustainable. Hybrid systems combining traditional techniques with nature-based solutions are a great way to improve climate resilience and local environments. If we can align regulation, planning frameworks, and investment incentives, the innovation within the sector will follow quickly.
With precast attenuation, innovation is coming through design life, modularity and lower-carbon manufacturing methods. With SuDS, the opportunity is to integrate water management into the very fabric of urban design — creating places that are not only more resilient but also healthier and more attractive to live in. By integrating proven solutions like Marshalls’ permeable paving, precast concrete systems, and rain garden systems such as Edenkerb, not only can housebuilders manage water run-off, but they can also enhance biodiversity and deliver visible benefits to residents.
How does Marshalls Water Management strike the right balance between tried-and-tested engineering approaches and newer, more sustainable solutions?
At Marshalls Water Management, we see it less as a choice between traditional and sustainable solutions, and more about bringing the best of both together. Tried-and-tested engineering approaches, like precast concrete attenuation systems with a 100 year+ design life, provide the reliability and performance that communities and developers can trust. At the same time, newer sustainable solutions such as SuDS allow us to respond to climate change, biodiversity goals, and community wellbeing in ways that traditional infrastructure can’t always achieve alone.
Our role is to blend those strengths: delivering robust engineering with lower-carbon materials, or integrating SuDS features alongside hard infrastructure so that resilience and sustainability work hand-in-hand. That balance is what makes solutions future-proof, protecting people today while adapting for the challenges of
tomorrow.
Many in the sector have welcomed more joined-up regulation. Why is this alignment so important and what risks do you see during the transition?
Joined-up regulation is essential because flooding, drainage and pollution are interconnected issues. When regulation is fragmented, we see gaps, duplication, and inconsistent standards that make it harder to deliver effective solutions. Alignment will result in a clearer framework and ultimately better outcomes for communities and the environment.
The transition needs careful handling. Any period of regulatory change carries the risk of delay or uneven interpretation across regions. If not managed well, this can slow down investment and innovation at exactly the time we need to accelerate both. The key will be clear communication, phased implementation and strong collaboration between government, regulators, and industry.
What role can companies like Marshalls play in ensuring that national ambitions for flood resilience are effectively delivered at the local level?
National ambitions are only as strong as their delivery on the ground, and Marshalls’ scale and expertise mean we can support local authorities, developers, and contractors with not just products, but design advice, technical guidance and compliance know-how. That combination helps ensure that what is promised nationally is actually delivered locally, in ways that are robust, cost-effective, and future proof.
Our water management team is passionate about the positive impact we can have on the built environment, particularly given the urgency and need to transform and support the UK’s water infrastructure network. Our integrated product portfolio enables us to engineer and deliver the full service of water management systems, from capture to controlled discharge.
Looking ahead, what should a “futureproof” UK water management system look like and what role do you see Marshalls playing in shaping that future?
There is an urgent need for a change in mindset around water and the climate. Investing in infrastructure that is fit for the future, as well as managing and protecting it at every stage of the design and construction process, will be essential.
A truly futureproof UK water management system would be integrated, sustainable, and resilient by design. It would treat water as a resource to be managed holistically — not just something to drain away — combining hard infrastructure with SuDS, natural flood management, and digital tools for monitoring and prediction.
Marshalls’ role is to help shape that future by providing the products, expertise and innovation that make it possible. From precast attenuation with long-life durability to greener, smarter SuDS that enhance communities, we are focused on solutions that deliver both immediate protection and long-term value. Our scale means we can support consistent delivery nationwide, ensuring ambition translates into real resilience on the ground.
www.marshalls.co.uk/water-management
Paul Curtis is Managing Director of Marshalls Water Management. With a history of offering sustainable long-term water management drainage systems, Marshalls Civils & Drainage has supplied many of the major civils and infrastructure projects throughout the UK mainland, helping to design, create and deliver fully integrated sustainable storm, surface and foul water management systems for a safer and better environment.