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SuDS Design:
Do's and Dont's

Use these principles to integrate SuDS into the development design and avoid approaches that reduce their effectiveness or lead to avoidable redesign.

Do

Start with SuDS: Integrate SuDS from the earliest stages of masterplanning and consider surface-based measures before relying on conventional below-ground drainage.

Use the right team: Coordinate drainage, landscape, ecology, highways, buildings and utilities throughout the design process.

Create a connected SuDS train: Combine building, plot and street-scale measures so that rainfall is managed progressively across the development.

Choose the right feature for the right place: Select measures that suit the location, development type and their role within the wider system.

Coordinate above and below ground: Show relevant below-ground landscape elements, including soil cells for SuDS-enabled tree pits, on coordinated drawings.

Protect soil: Design and manage SuDS areas to avoid compaction and contamination.

Plan for maintenance: Consider access, planting establishment and long-term maintenance when selecting and locating SuDS features.

Don’t

Rely on a single end-of-pipe feature: Using a connected range of upstream measures can reduce reliance on large attenuation features at the end of the system.

Add SuDS after the layout is fixed: Late changes can limit opportunities, duplicate design effort and result in poorly integrated features.

Select features only to gain points: The assessment score should reflect measures that are suitable, deliverable and connected to the wider SuDS train.

Ignore soil and levels: Compacted soil, unsuitable falls or poorly coordinated connections can prevent features from working as intended.

Treat SuDS as isolated engineering features: SuDS should contribute to landscape, biodiversity, amenity and placemaking as well as surface-water management.