English SuDS policy to be reviewed
Following the House of Commons rejection of the Lord’s amendment on SuDS where they suggested removing the automatic right of developers to connect to public sewers for surface water and encourage SuDS on every development the Lords accepted an amendment on sustainable drainage. This would mean the secretary of state must carry out a review of the planning legislation, government planning policy (introduced in April 2015) and arising local planning policies concerning sustainable drainage.
Speaking in the debate in the House of Lords on 10 May, the Planning Minister Baroness Williams of Trafford said: “I emphasise that we are committed to ensuring that developments are safe from flooding and that the delivery of SuDS… forms part of our policy approach.” She added that the review would be “thorough, robust and look at evidence on the ground.” That said, no indication was provided of timing or scope of the review.