Guidance

National standards for sustainable drainage systems

Non-statutory standards for the design, maintenance and operation of surface water drainage systems in England.

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published
23 March 2015

This publication was withdrawn on

This document has been archived because it鈥檚 out of date. There is a new version of national standards for sustainable drainage systems, published in June 2025.

Applies to England

Documents

National standards for sustainable drainage systems (SuDS)

HTML

Details

The non-statutory standards can help you design, maintain and operate surface water drainage systems for:

  • new developments

  • retrofit sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) (although not all parts may be directly applicable)

They promote consistency and help ensure long-term performance and resilience.

SuDS manage surface water in a way that mimics natural processes, providing a wide range of benefits beyond traditional drainage methods. This makes SuDS essential for new development.聽

SuDS offer opportunities for:聽

  • water reuse

  • reducing flood risk by slowing and storing runoff聽

  • improving water quality by filtering pollutants聽

  • enhancing the visual quality of our environment and offering recreational and educational opportunities聽

  • supporting biodiversity聽聽

Updates to this page

Published 23 March 2015

Sign up for emails or print this page

Related content