SuDS…..A nature 1st solution!

The government has finally announced it will implement a new approach to sustainable drainage, with the aim to reduce flood risk and clean up rivers.

The water sector urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in an open letter last month, to finally commit to implementing Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

The new approach to sustainable drainage systems (SuDs) will reduce the risk of surface water flooding, pollution and help alleviate the pressures on our traditional drainage and sewerage systems.

Why is this important?

SuDS use nature-based processes to hold back rain in green features often soaking into the ground rather than contributing to the already overwhelmed drainage system.

The other magical thing is that the process of infiltration traps most of the pollutants in the soil, cleaning the water before it enters the water environment.

The concept has been around a long time and started in the early 1990s. It has been embedded within landscape projects for years, but it now has a new emphasis. Through good design and product choice we can create effective SuDS that work for the short and long term. Better still it also enhances biodiversity and provides much needed green-blue spaces within our urban areas.

In England, there’s been a non-statutory approach to encouraging SuDS through the planning system since 2014, but this hasn’t brought about the level of installation required.

Urgent action required

We need to build as much infrastructure capacity to hold back as much rainwater as possible. Of course, this is only part of the toolkit to solve these interrelated problems.

It’s more difficult to retrofit SuDS in existing cities, though this is an approach increasingly taken by local authorities and water companies to address these challenges. The Mansfield Green Recovery from Severn Trent is an outstanding example of such a project.

What is the expected impact of schedule 3?

The implementation of Schedule 3 will mean we’ll be able to maximise the opportunity of providing capacity in our system when any new development occurs.

It will also remove builders’ automatic right to connect new developments with the drainage system, making it conditional on incorporating SuDS as part of the design and identifying the long-term maintenance provision.

Next steps

The government’s agreement to implement the schedule is not the end of the road.

Later in 2023, there will be a consultation on the details of the requirements.

As an industry, we need to engage with this to ensure it’s not possible to use loopholes to avoid this requirement.

We also want to see the standards maximise the benefits these systems can bring to both the drainage network and the design of our communities for the benefit of people and nature.