SuDS should be treated as an early design input on development in Leicester, not a final drainage calculation. Leicester schemes should consider surface-water management alongside the River Soar catchment, local flood pathways and the practical constraints of urban and suburban development. The strongest submissions demonstrate the drainage hierarchy with evidence, not assumptions.
What matters on a Leicester site
- evidence for or against infiltration based on representative ground testing
- the proposed discharge route and any downstream constraint
- finished floor levels and safe exceedance routing
- how attenuation, water quality and biodiversity functions are integrated into the site layout
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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