Drainage & SuDS

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) for Planning Compliance & Design Integration

Surface Water Management for Planning

At Arthian, our flood risk and drainage team delivers SuDS strategies and surface water drainage designs that meet planning requirements, reduce flood risk and support sustainable development. Whether you’re preparing a planning application, discharging conditions or designing infrastructure, we provide clear, regulator-aligned support from concept through to adoption. Requirements and terminology for sustainable drainage differ across the UK. We design strategies in line with the relevant policies, including NPPF in England, TAN15 in Wales, SPP in Scotland and PPS15 in Northern Ireland.

We support clients across:
Residential and mixed-use developments
Commercial, education and healthcare sites
Infrastructure corridors and strategic masterplans
Industrial and energy projects with complex drainage needs

Our SuDS designs are tailored to your site, sector and planning context—ensuring compliance, resilience and long-term performance.

What Is a SuDS Strategy?

A Sustainable Drainage Strategy is typically required for most major developments to demonstrate how surface water will be managed sustainably, in line with planning policy, Building Regulations and local requirements. It sets out how runoff will be controlled, treated and maintained over the lifetime of the development. It’s typically required for:

- Planning applications in areas with surface water sensitivity
- Sites over 1 hectare or in Flood Zones
- Developments with significant impermeable surfaces
- Discharge of planning conditions related to drainage

We follow the SuDS hierarchy, prioritising infiltration and attenuation before discharge to watercourses or sewers.

Our SuDS & Drainage Services

SuDS for Infrastructure & Corridor Projects

Maintenance & Adoption Planning

Our SuDS & Drainage Services

We offer a full suite of drainage services, including:

SuDS Strategy Reports for planning submission
Surface Water Drainage Design using GIS and rainfall catchment modelling
Drainage Impact Assessments (DIA) for infrastructure and high-risk sites
SuDS Maintenance & Adoption Plans for long-term performance
Integration with Flood Risk Assessments (FRA) and site layout
Regulator Liaison with EA, SEPA, NRW and Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs)

Our designs incorporate permeable paving, swales, attenuation basins, infiltration features, green roofs and engineered storage—tailored to your site and planning authority.

We design SuDS strategies in line with the DEFRA Non-Statutory Technical Standards for Sustainable Drainage Systems (March 2015, updated 2025), the CIRIA SuDS Manual C753 and relevant local authority guidance.

SuDS for Infrastructure & Corridor Projects

We specialise in SuDS and drainage for linear infrastructure schemes, including:

Route-wide surface water management
Multi-phase SuDS integration
Drainage mapping and runoff modelling
Coordination with flood risk, ecology and permitting teams
Adoption strategy for long-term maintenance

Our team understands the logistics and sensitivities of corridor development—ensuring drainage is managed without compromising progress.

Maintenance & Adoption Planning

Planning authorities increasingly require SuDS maintenance plans to ensure long-term performance. We provide:

Maintenance schedules and inspection regimes
Adoption guidance for local authorities or management companies
Lifecycle cost analysis and asset management input
Integration with landscape and ecological management plans
Our maintenance plans follow DEFRA standards and local policy requirements to ensure long-term performance and satisfy planning conditions.

Our SuDS & Drainage Services

We offer a full suite of drainage services, including:

SuDS Strategy Reports for planning submission
Surface Water Drainage Design using GIS and rainfall catchment modelling
Drainage Impact Assessments (DIA) for infrastructure and high-risk sites
SuDS Maintenance & Adoption Plans for long-term performance
Integration with Flood Risk Assessments (FRA) and site layout
Regulator Liaison with EA, SEPA, NRW and Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs)

Our designs incorporate permeable paving, swales, attenuation basins, infiltration features, green roofs and engineered storage—tailored to your site and planning authority.

SuDS for Infrastructure & Corridor Projects

We specialise in SuDS and drainage for linear infrastructure schemes, including:

Route-wide surface water management
Multi-phase SuDS integration
Drainage mapping and runoff modelling
Coordination with flood risk, ecology and permitting teams
Adoption strategy for long-term maintenance

Our team understands the logistics and sensitivities of corridor development—ensuring drainage is managed without compromising progress.

Maintenance & Adoption Planning

Planning authorities increasingly require SuDS maintenance plans to ensure long-term performance. We provide:

Maintenance schedules and inspection regimes
Adoption guidance for local authorities or management companies
Lifecycle cost analysis and asset management input
Integration with landscape and ecological management plans
Our maintenance plans follow DEFRA standards and local policy requirements to ensure long-term performance and satisfy planning conditions.

Why choose Arthian's Water Management team?

Specialist SuDS and drainage consultants with UK-wide coverage

Integration

Fully integrated with geotechnical, hydrological, and ecological disciplines.

Our Experience

National experience with regional insight and regulatory familiarity.

Our Understanding

Deep understanding of planning, infrastructure, and environmental interfaces.

Results Driven

Commitment to technical rigour, clear communication, and long-term outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a SuDS strategy for planning?

Yes—most major developments require a SuDS strategy to manage surface water and satisfy planning policy.

Can you help with drainage design and mapping?

Absolutely. We use GIS and rainfall catchment modelling to design efficient, compliant drainage systems.

Do you provide maintenance and adoption plans?

Yes—we prepare regulator-ready plans to support long-term SuDS performance and condition discharge.

Can you integrate SuDS with flood risk and ecology?

Definitely. Our multi-disciplinary team ensures SuDS are embedded into wider environmental strategy.

What standards do you follow when designing SuDS?

We use DEFRA Non-Statutory Technical Standards for Sustainable Drainage Systems, the CIRIA SuDS Manual C753 and relevant local guidance to create robust, compliant designs.

Get in Touch

We’d love to hear from you – whether you have a question, a project in mind, want to explore job opportunities, or just want to say hello.

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Drainage & SuDS

Surface Water Management for Planning

What Is a SuDS Strategy?

Our SuDS & Drainage Services

SuDS for Infrastructure & Corridor Projects

Maintenance & Adoption Planning

Our SuDS & Drainage Services

SuDS for Infrastructure & Corridor Projects

Maintenance & Adoption Planning

Why choose Arthian's Water Management team?

Integration

Our Experience

Our Understanding

Results Driven

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a SuDS strategy for planning?

Can you help with drainage design and mapping?

Do you provide maintenance and adoption plans?

Can you integrate SuDS with flood risk and ecology?

What standards do you follow when designing SuDS?

Get in Touch