"We were impressed by the speedy, well-informed service and personal contact that we received. The report was thorough and comprehensive. We will certainly use GeoSmart's services in the future"
Gregory Gray
Gregory Gray Associates
Chaired by Stuart Pearce, Managing Director of GeoSmart, the seminar was opened by Dr Paul Ellis, our Innovation Director, who outlined the mechanics of SuDS and how they mitigate local surface flooding.
Climate change is driving ever more frequent deluges which conventional sewers cannot contain. New development simply amplifies flashy discharge of surface flooding into sewers causing problems elsewhere. The solution now being embraced by many local Authorities planning teams to ensure where conditions allow, that surface water is discharged naturally into the ground, as if development wasn’t there. These are now forming part of planning conditions ahead of development decisions underpinned by changing guidance and building regulations standards.
John Bates
In his keynote address, John Bates, Barrister at Old Square Chambers explored the new guidance that he co-authored and case law that has paved the way for its release. The key points of his speech were as follows:
Solutions to support your duty of care
Chris Taylor
The first stage in identifying whether SuDS may play a role in a development application is through assessing the site suitability to include sustainable drainage.
Until now, this has been difficult to identify in a simple fashion. At the seminar, Chris Taylor, Product Development Director at GeoSmart launched SuDSmart – the new drainage due diligence report for commercial property lawyers.
Meeting the new Guidance on site suitability, SuDSmart identifies other potential risks and constraints and removes potential roadblocks at the planning stage. The easy to read report reveals the following key information:
The simple traffic light system that shows site suitability results, together with aerial photography, mapping and expert analysis of soil geology and features adjacent to the site.
SuDSmart provides a comprehensive and bespoke report which meets the requirements of planning authorities in answering site conditions questions for pre-planning or full planning submissions.
Growing influence of SuDS on development sites
Stephen Skyes
Stephen Sykes, Chairman of The UK Environmental Law Association (UKELA) wrapped up the session with a call to read and understand the guidance note and educate colleagues so that SuDS site suitability becomes standard part of site due diligence.
A lively Q&A session followed with questions from partners among some of the largest commercial law firms in the country. Among the main concerns for clients were the whole life cost of a SuDS, the maintenance obligations and how these would need to be mapped out as part of due diligence.
There was some debate around a comparison to Part 2a contaminated land legislation. While it was important not to conflate the two together, it was clear that SuDS suitability and increased legislative pressure and policy in favour of SuDS across planning authorities would make this a more pressing issue in future months and years.
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