Designer checklists

This checklist is appropriate where the scale and layout of the proposed development is not being decided.

The checklist and critical items have been designed to align with the National Standards for SuDS and The SuDS Manual, offering clarity where there are deviations between them.

Critical items are highlighted in bold. A failure to address these will result in an objection to any outline application.  

For details of our expectations for a fully detailed surface water drainage design, to support a full or reserved matters planning application, or an application to discharge a surface water drainage design condition, please refer to our Full SuDS Design Checklist.  

Outline SuDS Design Checklist (Oct 2025) [docx] 202KB

This checklist has been created to assist designers, by clearly defining our expectations and requirements for surface water drainage designs that are submitted to support planning applications.

The checklist, critical items and guidance have been designed to align with the National Standards for SuDS and The SuDS Manual, offering clarity where there are deviations between them.

Surface water drainage must be adequately considered when formulating the layout of a site, therefore it is expected that sufficient surface water drainage information is submitted with all planning applications.  Surface water drainage information may be requested for smaller proposals where drainage is expected to affect determination - for example, within the Lidsey Wastewater Treatment Catchment area.

The items listed in the checklist cover our expectations for a fully detailed surface water drainage design.  The final details of a design may be agreed via planning condition, or prior to determination of a full, or reserved matters planning application.

Critical items are highlighted in bold. A failure to address these will result in an objection to any application to discharge a surface water drainage design condition and will likely result in an objection on a full or reserved matters planning application.

Full SuDS Design Checklist (Oct 2025) [docx] 215KB

This checklist has been created to assist designers, by clearly defining our expectations and suggestions for site specific ground investigations submitted to support planning applications. It is designed to be read alongside our guidance notes on both groundwater monitoring and infiltration testing.

Ground Investigations Checklist (Oct 2025).docx [docx] 200KB

This checklist has been designed to assist applicants by clearly defining our expectations and requirements for maintenance and management of sustainable surface water drainage (SuDS) designs that are submitted to support planning applications.

Maintenance and management of SuDS must be adequately considered to ensure the long-term functionality of the drainage system and to ensure protection of habitats and ecology. Prospective landowners and maintainers must be aware of their responsibilities and financial liabilities relating to the surface water network on a site.

The items listed in the checklist cover our expectations for a SuDS maintenance and management manual.  This is for all elements necessary for the surface water drainage of a site.

SuDS Maintenance Checklist (Oct 2025) [docx] 191KB

This checklist has been created to assist designers, by clearly defining our expectations and requirements for the verification of Sustainable Drainage Systems [SuDS].

As part of the planning process for larger applications, applicants are often required to submit a verification report for appraisal by our engineers. You will be informed about the need for a verification report as part of any conditions applied to your planning permission. The verification condition is typically required to be discharged prior to occupation or use.

Verification of the SuDS is critical to demonstrate that the drainage of a site has been constructed as approved and that flood risk will not be increased by a development due to errors or variances in construction. SuDS must be built in accordance with the approved plans, yet it is challenging to prove compliance after construction, particularly of subterranean features or elements. This is why it is important for developers to inspect and document what has been built, as it is built; this helps them to demonstrate compliance.

It is particularly important that the applicant engages the services of an independent engineer at the earliest opportunity. An independent engineer reduces the risk of a conflict of interest. A contractor, supplier or developer certifying their own work or product is considered to be a conflict of interest and is not good practice. The verification of the SuDS requires a full understanding of the drainage system for the site, including how it fits with the flood risk management strategy and its underpinning philosophy.

The contractor installing the SuDS should be made fully aware of the need for inspections, to avoid work being done that can't be validated easily. The engineer must inspect the drainage from the commencement and throughout construction, so that sufficient evidence is gathered.

SuDS Verification Checklist (Oct 2025) [docx] 202KB