drainage & plumbing 43
How to achieve best practice with SuDS
Alex Stephenson, group market development director at Hydro International and chair of the British Water Sustainable Water Management Group explains how housebuilders should implement SuDS
are also getting used to new guidance that expects them to incorporate Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) into their developments. The new guidance was put in place in England
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in April this year, but ony applies to developments of 10 properties or more. Separate legislation has been active in Scotland for some years and a consultation outlining significantly different stan- dards for Wales closed at the end of April. The guidance brings SuDS delivery into the
planning system. Was the guidance made less pre- scriptive to ensure that implementing SuDS did not delay planning process, or compromise the commercial viability of developments? There has been plenty of speculation that the government
s the dash for new homes gets underway, encouraged by a majority government, housebuilders and housing associations
implemented the new system to help support housing growth. In his ministerial statement in December,
Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles, laid out a new regime for SuDS. Subsequently, the publication of 14 non-statu- tory technical standards to guide planning authorities, designers and developers, replaced the much more detailed regulations drafted but never enacted as a part of the Flood and Water Management Act.
“Against a more fragmented background, it will be important for developers and housing associations and their drainage designers, to have a thorough understanding of what best practice in SuDS looks like”
The non-statutory technical standards
essentially see English guidance back to ‘square one’ – not much different to the original PPS25 guidance. In fact, the new non-statutory techni- cal standards contain little in themselves to make them specifically recognisable as standards for SuDS – that is, reflecting principles of quality, quantity, amenity and biodiversity. In his statement, the Minister sets out an expectation that developers should demonstrate
clear and affordable arrangements for mainte- nance of SuDS over the lifetime of a development, although there is no mention of this within the technical standards themselves.
Devolved and fragmented?
The Welsh Assembly looks set to stick with its version of the much more prescriptive approach established via the proposed Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act (FMWA). With Scotland already having its own legislation, there is likely to be a devolved regulatory framework for SuDS. With the lack of detailed government guidance, local authorities are also likely to continue to develop their own regional approaches to SuDS design and con- struction. Developments crossing over regional or county borders could have to contend with more than one set of rules. Along its length, a developer may need to discharge into a water- course according to different local authority policies and national regulations. Against a more fragmented background, it will
be important for developers and housing associa- tions and their drainage designers, to have a thorough understanding of what best practice in SuDS looks like. Later this year the Construction Industry Research & Information Association (CIRIA) will issue an update the SuDS Manual, which will help to guide designers.
Continued overleaf... respond online at
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