Rain falling on buildings and hard surfaces cannot infiltrate into the ground so it needs to be drained artificially in order to prevent problems of localised flooding. The traditional method of dealing with surface water has been to pipe it away from developments and discharge it to the sewerage system or nearby watercourses. This has implications for water quality, the ecology and amenity of watercourses and downstream flooding.
Leeds City Council supports sustainable drainage systems which provide an alternative to the traditional approach. Sustainable drainage seeks to mimic more natural drainage processes by allowing rainfall to soak into the ground where possible or by delaying discharges. This reduces both the volume and rate of surface water runoff.
Sustainable Drainage in Leeds has been published as supplementary guidance to the Leeds Unitary Development Plan.
Copies can be purchased for £10 at the Development Department reception at the address below or by post by sending a cheque for £12.00 (including postage and packing) made payable to Leeds City Council to the same address.
The document is also available free of charge as a download from this page.
Sustainable Development Unit
Development Department
The Leonardo Building
2 Rossington Street
Leeds
LS2 8HD
The National SUDS working group interim code of practice for SUDS can be found using the link on this page.
The code of practice includes the following model agreements:
- Planning obligations
- SUDS maintenance framework agreement