The Flood and Water Management Act 2010
The Flood and Water Management Act addresses a number of key issues to counter and manage flooding, including four that were aimed specifically at SuDS:
• The requirement for developers to construct sustainable drainage systems for new developments and redevelopments with drainage implications
• Any construction work that has implications for drainage cannot commence until a SuDS plan has been approved at unitary, or county level by a SuDS Approving Body (SAB)
• Local authorities will become responsible for (adopting) the schemes and their maintenance once completed
• The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is responsible for publishing National Standards for sustainable drainage
These points were included in Schedule 3
of the Act, which is currently timetabled to be implemented alongside the introduction of new National Standards by December 2014. The new standards will cover the design, planning approval, construction and maintenance of SuDS, including affordability and exemptions.