When you’re in the process of starting a new construction project, as you well know, there’s a lot of paperwork to deal with, reports to process, and authorities to contact.

Sustainable urban drainage systems or SuDS is just one of those important factors to consider and for most projects, regardless of size, a SuDS report is required. Helping to manage surface water run off, SuDS help to reduce the risk of all types of flooding, from surface water to fluvial and tidal.

If you’re about to break ground on an upcoming construction project, it’s likely that you need to complete a range of surveys and paperwork in order to get started.

Forming the ‘foundations’ of any construction work, a site survey is one piece of the puzzle.

In this blog, we’ll discuss exactly what can be gained from site surveys, what they involve, what they show you, and most importantly, how you can get them completed.

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) manage surface water run-off as close to its source as possible. This reduces the potential impacts and risks of surface water flooding, fluvial and tidal flooding- by reducing the peak flows entering the rivers, the sea and the sewers.

Whether you are a property developer, architect, land owner or planning consultant this complete guide to SuDS and SuDS design and reports sets out to teach you all you need-to-know about how they work and how they can affect your proposed development.

In certain situations, a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SuDS) assessment is a compulsory requirement at planning application stage. In England, from April 2015, it became compulsory for SuDS to be considered in planning applications for major developments, and Lead Local Flood Authorities quite often request SuDS at planning application stage for minor developments also.

Unfortunately, a lot of the information in this area can be full of jargon or disconnected. Let’s address that, by taking a look at the key information regarding SuDS in a simple and clearly approached way.

All too often, information on whether or not your site is within a Flood Zone can be muddy and unclear, leaving you with more questions than you had to begin with.

Yet, this information is crucial to ensure the correct procedures are put in place during your planning applications and to avoid any refusals or delays to your application.

This post aims to clearly explain the types of flood zones, what they mean and detail the steps you can take to find out if your site is affected.

Simply put, surface water flooding occurs when the volume of rainwater falling is unable to drain away through existing drainage systems or by filtering into the ground. As a result, the water lies on the ground and may begin to flow – causing localised floods, which can affect your developments.

Typically, surface water flooding is caused by the amount of rainfall and the high speed at which it hits the ground. This causes a build-up that prevents the existing drainage systems from draining it.

Surface water flood events usually have localised effects, therefore only impacting properties in a close proximity to the resulting floods. In these instances, it may only affect those properties and the surrounding areas for a short period of time.

However, due to the sporadic and intense nature of these surface water flood events, the damage can be extensive and affect huge areas, being in-situ for prolonged periods of time.

So we know that surface water flooding can be hugely disruptive to your new development(s).

Now let’s see how it could affect you and your future planning applications and what you can do to prepare for it.

Read on to learn more…

When rivers and streams ‘break their banks’, the water will flow out onto adjacent low-lying areas (known as floodplains), and there are a number of reasons as to why (and how) this happens.

For example, if the runoff from heavy rain exceeds the natural capacity of the river channel, you will experience fluvial flooding. Also, if a channel is blocked or constrained – or in estuarine areas where high tide levels impede the flow of the river out to sea – your site may be vulnerable to river flooding.

“The council are asking me to do a Flood Risk Assessment, but my property/development is in a flood Zone 1…”

It’s a common query we deal with amongst planners and architects, and one that can cause unnecessary stress, particularly if you’re not prepared.

Historically, your flood risk Zone would have been the main decider as to whether you needed a Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) or not. So, it’s understandable to assume that this is still the case.

However, legislation has changed in recent years, and although we previously had to assess the flood risk from all sources for sites in flood zone 1, we are now having to provide flood risk assessment reports for site that have been highlighted by the LPA as being at risk from other sources rather than Fluvial or Tidal.

In this post, we uncover the reasons why the council are asking you for an FRA when your property or development is in a Flood Zone 1.

Read on to find out more…

If you have an upcoming development in the London area which requires a sustainable drainage strategy, completion of the London Sustainable Drainage Proforma may be required. In 2019, the Proforma was launched in 33 of London’s Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs).

In this article, we will discuss what the Proforma is, where it applies, why you need it, and what needs to be included in it. Read more to find out!

If you’re an architect, property developer, builder, planner or landowner, and need to know exactly what a SuDS report is, then this is the blog for you!

In this post, we’ll cover exactly what you need to know about SuDS design and strategy, including the report. Read on to find out more…

Conducting a SuDS report on your development is often stipulated as part of the planning approval process, but what are the other key reasons why having a SuDS strategy is crucial for planning approval?