This week (22 September 2025), the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) opened a public consultation on Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in new housing developments. It seeks views on key policy areas, potential implementation challenges and ways to encourage wider uptake of SuDS.
The consultation’s launch follows the Water, Sustainable Drainage and Flood Management Bill passing its second stage of debate in the NI Assembly on 16 September.
Some measures outlined in the consultation document that may be of interest to architects include:
- New housing developments could be required to incorporate natural drainage features such as rain gardens, swales and permeable paving, so that rainwater soaks in or evaporates rather than flowing directly into pipes or rivers.
- Housing developments that integrate nature-based SuDS interventions may be encouraged to discard conventional storm drainage pipes and gully systems.
- New SuDS guidance could stress an overarching principle that rainwater should be ‘managed at source’ to ‘slow its flow’ instead of allowing surface water to accumulate and enter traditional drainage systems.
- Architects may need to follow new guidance setting local design and maintenance standards, as well as updated road and footpath layout rules to accommodate SuDS at street level.
- Drainage may need to be planned by architects as an interconnected ‘management train’, linking multiple SuDS components from roof level through to final discharge.
The full consultation document can be accessed here.
The deadline for responses is 12pm on Friday 19 December 2025.
RSUA is preparing a response to this consultation. To share your views, please contact Curtis Large, RSUA Policy and Public Affairs Officer, at curtis@rsua.org.uk
