EWSC Enabling Actions

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)

Unlocking the benefits of high-quality SuDS in new housing developments

Project Description

With growing pressures from climate change and ageing infrastructure, we need new approaches to managing rainwater and surface water in new housing developments.

High-quality sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) offer a nature-based approach to managing water locally, reducing flood risk and pollution, supporting wildlife, and creating attractive places to live

EWSC undertook economic and social research to explore the value of SuDS in new developments, as well as understand the barriers to their delivery.

Read the latest news from this project:

EWSC One-Pager on SuDS

Note: All EWSC outputs can be accessed via our Project Reports page.

Project Reports

The Value of High-Quality SuDS

A national-level analysis of the economic benefit of delivering high quality SuDS across the planned 1.3 million homes. The research included a public opinion poll with a willingness to pay component and interviews with a range of developers to understand perspectives around SuDS.

Delivered by Public First with support from CIWEM, Environmental Policy Consulting and Robert Bray Associates.

Read the report here

Benefit-cost analysis for high-quality SuDS

The development of a tool to evaluate, at a site level, the whole-life benefit-cost ratio of high-quality Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) compared to low-quality SuDS.

Delivered by WSP and United Utilities.