Understanding SuDS

The importance of Sustainable urban Drainage

Systems

Jason Harper
Thames Water Property Searches
Session overview.

• The guidance and regulation regarding SuDS and new developments.

• What SuDS are and how they work.
• The need for SuDS and their benefits.
• How to assess a site’s suitability for SuDS.
• Explain the guidance and rules in place for SuDS for new
developments.
• Describe how SuDS work and why they’re relevant to property
management and new developments.
• Review the design principles of SuDS, assess the drainage hierarchy
and know about variation in SuDS suitability for different sites.

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SuDs

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems

“SuDS are designed to control surface water
run-off close to where it falls and to mimic
natural drainage as closely as possible.”

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 Flood Types

Different types of flood can also have different effects in terms of their impact,
damage and cost, both financially and to the people who experience them

Fluvial (River) Flooding - Occurs when rivers burst their banks as a result of
sustained or intense rainfall.

Coastal Flooding - Caused by extreme tidal conditions including high tides, storm
surges and tsunamis.

Pluvial (Surface Water) Flooding - Occurs when an extremely heavy downpour of

rain saturates drainage systems and the excess water cannot be absorbed.

Reservoir Flooding - ccur as a result of dam failure. This type of flooding is rare.
The impact of flood in the event of dam failure eg Edgbaston Reservoir in
Birmingham, UK is extensive.

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 Flood Types

Different types of flood can also have different effects in terms of their impact,
damage and cost, both financially and to the people who experience them

Fluvial (River) Flooding - Occurs when rivers burst their banks as a result of
sustained or intense rainfall.

Coastal Flooding - Caused by extreme tidal conditions including high tides, storm
surges and tsunamis.

Pluvial (Surface Water) Flooding - Occurs when an extremely heavy downpour of

rain saturates drainage systems and the excess water cannot be absorbed.

Reservoir Flooding - ccur as a result of dam failure. This type of flooding is rare.
The impact of flood in the event of dam failure eg Edgbaston Reservoir in
Birmingham, UK is extensive.

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Flooding Can Occur Anywhere And Will Get Worse

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SuD’s – Key Queries on Con29DW

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 SUDS – Planning Stage
• It makes sense for SuDS to be considered at the planning stage of a
development to ensure that amenity, quality and biodiversity assets are
included.

• The Post-legislative scrutiny: Flood and Water Management Act 2010 report
recently published by the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) has set
out a list of recommendations for the next Government.

• In our SuDS: The State of the Nation 2016 survey, respondents (73%) believed
that more standard technical guidance is needed on the long-term maintenance
of SuDS.

• The EFRA report recommends “amending statutory definitions of a sewer to

make it easier for Water and Sewerage Companies to adopt SuDS” and “ending
the automatic right of new developments to connect surface water discharges
to conventional sewerage systems…”

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 SuDs - Considerations
• From April 2015 SuDS are required for new major developments* in all cases
unless demonstrated to be inappropriate (National Planning Policy Framework).
Automatic connection to sewer is no longer accepted.

• GLA London Plan Policy - insists that development in any of the London Boroughs
must reduce their SW run off by a minimum of 50%

• Property transactions should be informed by understanding the implications of

SuDS if future development is proposed.

• A high level SuDS feasibility report is necessary for property professionals at the
initial master planning stage to identify drainage options and risks.

• *Defined as 10 houses or more or other commercial property development

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Sustainable drainage (SuDS) and land
acquisition
“It is highly recommended that pre-application discussions
take place before submitting an application to the local
planning authority. Ideally, these discussions should start at
the land acquisition due diligence stage and continue as
part of the pre-planning application process.”

L.A.S.O.O. – Local Authority SuDs Officer Organisation

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Why are SuDS relevant?

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Non-statutory technical guidance for SuDS

“Where reasonably practicable, for developments which have been

previously developed, the runoff volume from the development to any
highway drain, sewer or surface water body in the 1 in 100 year, 6 hour
rainfall event must be constrained to a value as close as is
reasonably practicable to the Greenfield runoff volume for the same
event, but should never exceed the runoff volume from the
development site prior to redevelopment or that event.”

DEFRA, March 2015

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What are SuDS?
SuDS replicate the natural drainage from the site before development, reducing
run-off and flood risk.

The SuDS Train, can link swales, basins, wetlands improve water quality, amenity
and biodiversity.

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How do SuDS work?
SuDS mimic the drainage that was there before the development

A typical SuDS management train is as follows:

Prevention
Water Butts Water butts for reusing water, increased grass areas vs hard
surfaces

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SuDS Management Train Continued

Source Control

Interception by green roofs and drainage into a permeable pavement

or soakaway.

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Management Train
Conveying Water

Drainage of excess water into swales and moved onto storage basins.

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Management Train
Site Control

Detention basins that provide treatment, storage and infiltration or slow

release.

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Management Train
Regional Control

The swale network then conveys excess water from several areas to a retention

pond at the bottom of the site for final attenuation and treatment.

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Infiltration & Retention Basin

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Permeable Pavements

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Benefits of Suds

• They can help ‘place making’ to create attractive corridors in developments,

connecting people and the environment to water and open spaces.

• They provide attractive public open space, improve the quality of life and
create better communities.

• They help mitigate and adapt communities to climate change and are able to
contain extreme weather events better.

• They do not need energy or pumping and reduce the demand on existing
traditional sewers and downstream water treatment.

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Site Analysis: What is the impact?

Site layout

Site density

Construction costs

Construction time

Maintenance liabilities

Future value

Neighbouring land

Access across the site

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NPPF Planning Practice Guidance states
National Planning Policy Framework

Generally the aim should be discharge surface runoff as high up the

following hierarchy of drainage options as reasonably practicable:

In Order:

1. Into the ground (infiltration);

2. To a surface water body;

3. To a surface water sewer, highway drain or another drainage system;

4. To a combined sewer.

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Understanding SuDS Suitability
• Knowing site drainage conditions and options for SuDS are key to
supporting a property transaction and planning application at Pre-
Planning Stage or to address a planning condition prior to permission being
granted.

• Particularly relevant to sites in flood risk areas and for major developments.

• Protecting a client's commercial interests and asset value.

• Helps discharge lawyer's duty of care on drainage matters at site acquisition

and development.

• Most Local Authorities have produced a range of SuDS requirements for

developers.

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What are the risks if SuDS are not assessed?

• A SuDS condition in your planning permission that could have been

shown to be unnecessary.

• A site which can't be developed because of poor drainage.

• Unexpected cost, aggravation and loss of time.

• Duty of care to your client not fulfilled.

• A damaged client relationship

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SuDS Installations

• Geocellular stormwater storage systems retain Grade II listed park

landscaping whilst preventing flooding in Southwark, South London,
UK. A £4.28m award-winning flood defence project in Southwark,
South London, is combining above and below-ground temporary
flood storage to create a pioneering solution at two sensitive and
historic parks.

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SuDS Installations

• A long-standing flooding issue for Falkirk Council has been protected from
peak rainfall risk with a robust stormwater storage solution from Hydro
International that saved space and preserved nearby recreational facilities
for local residents.

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SuDS Installations

• The 1900-home Elvetham Heath development at Fleet is hailed as a shining

example of sustainable drainage using linked swales and ponds. It is
featured in the Government’s seminal Response to the Pitt Review, the
forerunner of the Flood and Water Management Act.

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Further Information

• CIRIA ‘The SuDS Manual:

http://www.ciria.org/Memberships/The_SuDs_Manual_C753_Chapte
rs.aspx

• Old Square Chambers ‘The Role Of Sustainable Drainage Systems’

guidance note: http://geosmartinfo.co.uk/knowledge-
hub/downloads/suds-guidance-note/

• SUDS VIDEO

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