Still no date in sight for sustainable drainage consultation

The consultation on implementing Schedule 3 of the Floods and Water Management Act, widely expected to take place in 2023, still seems to be some way off, according to responses from Defra minister Lord Benyon to recent questions on the subject.

Last week during a question in the Lords about the timeliness and effectiveness of environmental policies – which for the most part related to fallout from the Office for Environmental Protection’s assessment of progress towards environmental goals – Baroness McIntosh of Pickering asked for clarification on when the Schedule 3 consultation should be expected. Implementation would support the use of sustainable drainage systems in new developments.

Lord Benyon did not offer a date beyond “I suspect we will bring in those measures later this year” and referred Baroness McIntosh to a letter in which he said the consultation will commence “shortly”.

He explained: “My officials are in the process of looking at how best to implement, while also being mindful of the cumulative impact of new regulatory burdens on the development sector. This has meant continuing detailed cross-government engagement, particularly with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the linkages with planning.

“We conținue to work through the final consultation proposals on:

• scope, threshold and process,

• draft national standards for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of SuDS, and

• a consultation stage impact assessment.”