Sustainable Drainage Systems and the Future of Stormwater

A series of articles in this month’s New Civil Engineer (NCE) magazine report on the future of stormwater and the application of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) to manage the runoff.

A series of articles in this month’s New Civil Engineer (NCE) magazine report on the future of stormwater and the application of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) to manage the runoff.

The articles mention that 96% of English local authorities report that the quality of planning submissions for SuDS is either “inadequate” or “mixed” and that often the solution proposed is a ‘token’ attenuation tank at the low point of the development rather than an integrated approach with a focus on how SuDS can be implemented throughout e.g. through the use of permeable paving with open-grade sub-base, linked swales systems for staged attenuation, pond features in open space etc.

The articles also compare the English SuDS approval system to that present in Wales where SuDS Approval Bodies (SABs) are setup to assess the suitability and performance of proposals, under Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. This forces developers to engage in early liaison with the authorities to ensure that the proposals are developed adequately. It is argued that this has resulted in less delays to planning applications due to issues related to SuDS (60% of professionals in England report this, compared to 30% in Wales)

Whilst SABs are unlikely to be implemented in the near future in England, input at an early stage to site layouts considering integrated SuDS features is a crucial in improving the chance of local authorities approving surface water management strategies as part of planning applications.

SuDS design is one of Paul Basham Associates’ Civil Engineering team’s core services and we would be happy to assist at any stage of your project. From early input to help shape site layouts, application support, through to detailed drainage design for construction. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to get in touch.

Here's the link to the issue released https://www.newcivilengineer.com/digital-edition/december-2019/