You may have seen new legislation come into effect last week in Wales. The introduction of this new legislation is going to impact construction firms across the country hugely. Most importantly, it will impact the planning and application process. The legislation will affect what's known as SuDS (or Sustainable Drainage Systems). These systems are now a mandatory requirement when building new sites in Wales. The new legislation is a move from the Welsh Government to help reduce the risk of flooding in new developments that are being built. SuDS work by making use of landscape and also natural vegetation to control the flow of surface water. Using this process will help to reduce the risk of flooding.
So why are SuDS needed? This legislation coming into effect is a move in response to new figure that around 163,00 homes in Wales are at risk of flooding. That's a massive 12% of homes in Wales that could flood at any moment!
Below is a great example of sustainable drainage. This picture shows how the existing surface water aco drain and how it has been placed tastefully against the environment. It also uses the earth as a natural drainage system to drain the water away into the ground.
A great example of a SuDS on a new housing development!
According to the Welsh Government website, local authorities will now have dedicated teams known as SAB (SuDS Approving Bodies). The SABs will be assisting to approve planning applications and ensuring that the legislation is stuck to. The SAB will also ensure that construction and development companies are providing adequate information to assess flood risks on the sites. Most importantly, they will want to see that the projects will include building of SuDS. Additionally, The planning applications will need to comply to the guidelines set out by the Government. If the applications don’t meet the standard set, companies run the risk of having to go back to the drawing board with the plans.
Companies will now also be required to put forward comprehensive reports and surveys of existing surface water drains when applying for planning permission. You will need to be include foul drainage system surveys in the reports too, if they're connected to the surface water somewhere along the line. You'll also still need topographical surveys completing, we can also offer you this service, but more about that later! The reports will need to include upstream and downstream discharge points along the system, and they will need to be deemed appropriate by the SABs too! In most cases, you may need more extensive surveys to include infiltration testing and details of areas the SuDS discharge into.
It may seem like the work that goes into the planning application has become even more complicated. As a matter of fact, it's never been easier with Metro Rod Deeside here to help!
Our CCTV Surveys can find defects and damage in drainage systems. We can also provide detailed reports when applying for planning for your new developments. We have extensive experience in dealing with not only surface water drainage, but fouls systems too. One of our more advanced surveying techniques involves the use of a Sonde. This is similar to sonar technology where we are able to plot out drainage systems from above ground. This can be extremely useful in cases like these! Because of this, we should be your no.1 choice to assist in your compliance and planning applications.
We have a long-standing relationship in North Wales with the local councils, including Flintshire and Denbighshire County Council. We are trusted by our local councils to manage the drainage contracts for many of their divisions, including housing and highways. So you know we can get the job done right, first time, every time! Together with our vast knowledge of drainage in construction and our wealth of technology available, you'll have no worry! As well as being able to provide a FREE initial site assessment to new customers! Not to mention we have engineers based across North Wales, Wirral and Chester, so we're never far away!
If you need to know more about how this may affect our planning applications for any new development your building take a look at this handy document we found from the Welsh Assembly website; https://gov.wales/docs/desh/publications/190108-suds-faqs-en.pdf
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Metro Rod Deeside operate 24/7 and calls will always be answered directly by an experienced on call manager who can start diagnosing any drainage problems. Our on call manager will also assign you to an engineer who can be on site within a matter of hours. We operate throughout North Wales, including Anglesey, Chester and Wirral areas. We’re able to deal with problems such as;
We are always happy to arrange a free site assessment and no obligation quotations for any work you might need. Alternatively, you can call our emergency hotline number on 0800 66 88 00
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