If you haven’t heard of Sustainable urban Drainage Systems, you are not alone. But SuDS, as they are known for short, are becoming a part of planning conditions for everything from huge housing developments to simple home extensions. Here is how national firm SuDS Designs are dealing with this new factor in civil and structural engineering.

SuDS law

Whether you are a small property developer, or a homeowner wanting to extend your kitchen, there is an increasing chance that any planning application you make in the coming years will incur a notice relating to surface water drainage.

This reflects the government’s recent planning policy changes that focus on eco-friendly sustainable drainage systems, with the key aim of reducing the potential impact surface water flooding can have.

Whilst this is a sensible approach to lessening the effects climate change may have on our infrastructure, it does have the potential to derail, delay and add confusion to a construction project, especially as planning approval is now required from several different bodies.

Which means it is more important than ever for surface water drainage design to be considered right from the earliest possible stages of a construction project to avoid problems.

SuDS Designs fresh approach to SuDS

We are taking the lead on incorporating SuDS elements into our designs from day one. Each project is unique, and offers a variety of opportunities to incorporate elements into our designs. For instance, permeable paving, green roofs and rainwater harvesting systems are already regular features in many of our developments. Meanwhile, we have found ways to incorporate landscaped drainage features, like ponds and swales, into some of our schemes.

SuDS doesn’t necessarily mean pouring money down the drain

Whilst it is true that some developers simply see SuDS as a necessary step in satisfying planning requirements, we see a longer view. After all, we are working on a national scale to provide a sustainable landscape that can respond to, and withstand, changes in the climate and conditions. And SuDS offers ample opportunity to provide attractive amenity spaces, alongside biodiversity. Green roofs are striking, and offer an oasis in any urban landscape, for instance.

And bodies of water can be made attractive and are great havens for wildlife. And even better, some of these drainage systems actually significantly reduce build costs. In fact, a client in Ipswich recently asked us to design a bespoke swale and pond system in line with the proposals put forward by their landscape architect.

As government policy continues to be impacted by the concerns of climate change, SuDS Designs will respond by providing attractive, sustainable and cost efficient solutions that improve the shape, potential and long term viability of our urban landscapes.