A place for SuDS?
New research by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) supported by a wide coalition of partners, urges government to ensure that drainage of surface water into sewers should be conditional on new developments including high-quality sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), which reduce flood risk by slowing and storing flood water using natural processes.
The research which includes the “Big SuDS Survey” of current practice showed that over 70 per cent of those involved in delivering sustainable drainage do not think current planning policies encourage SuDS sufficiently. Only eight per cent believe that the current standards are driving high quality and effective SuDS in England. The authors argue that a new Government review is a crucial opportunity to update policy and standards to ensure that everyone can benefit from the protection and amenity offered by SuDS.
The report 'A place for SuDS?' is available here