SuDS should be treated as an early design input on development in Nottingham, not a final drainage calculation. Nottingham projects should account for local geology, the wider Trent catchment and the difference between assumed and measured infiltration performance. Early testing can materially change the amount of land needed for drainage and the preferred outfall strategy.
What matters on a Nottingham site
- representative infiltration results rather than generic permeability assumptions
- groundwater or contamination constraints where infiltration is proposed
- the effect of development phasing on temporary and permanent drainage
- attenuation and exceedance design where infiltration cannot manage the full design event
The current drainage framework
For development in England, the 2025 National Standards for Sustainable Drainage Systems set out a runoff hierarchy and design expectations covering flood risk, water quality, amenity and biodiversity. Local planning and flood-risk requirements still need to be addressed for the individual site.
National Standards for SuDS provides the national framework; the project still needs a site-specific strategy and evidence appropriate to the proposed development.
Where infiltration testing fits
If infiltration is being relied upon, testing should be located and designed around the proposed drainage features rather than used as a generic site-wide assumption. Where previous land use or made ground could affect water quality, review the ground-risk information alongside the drainage proposal.
What to send us
Send the site boundary, proposed layout, levels or topographical survey where available, drainage concept, planning or flood-risk comments, and any previous ground investigation. We can then identify whether infiltration testing, drainage support or linked environmental work is needed.
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