Sustainable Drainage
Strategy (SuDS) and Design

Sustainable Drainage
Strategies (SuDS) and Design

Contact us now to get a free quote for your SuDS drainage report or design project

Helping you meet the surface water drainage and management requirements for your planning application

Local Planning Authorities and the national environmental agencies are increasingly asking developers to show how they’ll manage surface water for their development in the form of a surface water drainage system or a sustainable drainage strategy (SuDS). In some cases, you may also be required to provide a second-stage report known as a detailed surface water drainage design.

Our Sustainable Drainage Reports and Strategies:

  • Are compliant with the national planning policies for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as well with the relevant environmental agency guidance and local planning policy
  • Can be written as separate reports or combined with our Flood Risk Assessments
  • Are suitable for all sizes and types of developments
  • Identify appropriate surface water runoff management options
  • Outline recommendations for sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) following consultation with our client
  • Provide initial design parameters for drainage components, such as soakaways, ponds and streams
  • Are produced with the assistance of UKFloodMap4™ – the most complete and up-to-date data set currently available for surface water modelling in the UK

What’s a Sustainable Surface Water Drainage Strategy?

A sustainable surface water drainage system (SuDS) or surface water drainage strategy is a report into how surface water, usually caused by rain, affects a site and the surrounding area. It establishes how water behaves on a site and determines the runoff rate, flow pathways, and infiltration potential (the likelihood of water being soaked into the ground).

It then investigates what effect the development will have on these issues and outlines measures the developer can take so that runoff rates meet the requirements for the site set by national and local planning policy.

Get in contact with us today on +44 (0) 1273 006 900 or request a free quote and one of our friendly specialists will be in touch

Who needs a sustainable drainage strategy?

As of April 2015, National policy requires that developments of more than ten units (including residential, industrial, commercial and mixed-use sites) review the potential use of sustainable drainage strategies (SuDS). This is to achieve betterment on brownfield sites or restrict run-off rates to the greenfield. You may also need a surface water drainage strategy if you’re increasing the footprint of an existing site.

If your development’s within an area designated as Flood Zones 2 and 3, or an area identified as having a surface water flooding problem, you’re also likely to need a drainage strategy.

Even if your development doesn’t meet these criteria, Local Planning Authorities have the final say on who needs a strategy. It’s best to speak to your local planning office before you submit a planning application.

To check if your site is in Flood Zone 2 or 3, you can contact us or take a look at national flood maps:

Benefits of SuDS

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  • Improve your chances of achieving planning consent
  • Avoid the costs of later design changes and additional planning applications
  • Reduce the risk of flooding to the site and surrounding area
  • Improve local amenities, reduce the risk of local flooding, and increase biodiversity

Is this the only surface water drainage report I need?

This very much depends on the location, size and type of your development, as well as the views of the EA and your local planning authority.

There is a second-stage report known as a ‘Detailed Drainage Design’. A Detailed Drainage Design provides comprehensive layouts, long-sections, construction details (such as type of pipes, manhole locations, etc.) to adoptable standards. Potentially, on-site soil testing may be required.

Not all planning applications that need a Drainage Strategy will need a Detailed Drainage Design (or it may be a condition of planning approval). Our experts will always be on hand to discuss and advise throughout your planning process.

How we produce a surface water drainage strategy

We use a tried-and tested three-stage process to develop your drainage strategy, download the brochure to read about these processes in more detail.

Download Drainage Strategy Brochure Here
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“Ambiental produced a Surface Water Drainage Scoping Report to guide a masterplan for one of our projects. They understood the brief and proposals immediately and the Report was produced promptly and in line with the timeframe they gave us.

The Report was prepared to a high standard. It was easy to read and understand and covered everything that was expected. Any questions we had that arose from the Report were promptly and comprehensively answered. I would certainly recommend Ambiental to clients for similar work in the future.”

Chris Wojtulewski, Parker Dann


Steven Brown Ambiental Associate

Get In Touch With Our Drainage Team


To get a quote or to discuss what you need, contact one of our Drainage Engineers.

Call the team on +44 (0) 1273 006 900 or email at [email protected]

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