Case study
A drainage strategy for 8 dwellings in Birmingham, prepared for planning and approved.
The constraint
Infiltration testing on site confirmed the ground would not take water, so a soakaway was not an option. That ruled out the top of the drainage hierarchy and set the shape of everything that followed.
What we did
The scheme uses rainwater harvesting, infiltration, raingardens, permeable paving and attenuation storage.
The numbers
| Discharge rate | 1.12 l/s |
| Climate change allowance, 1 in 30 year | 35% |
| Climate change allowance, 1 in 100 year | 40% |
| Site classification | Greenfield |
Every SuDS option, and why
Each option in the SuDS hierarchy was considered for this site. This is the assessment as it went into the report:
| Option | Used | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Rainwater Harvesting | Yes | Rainwater butts have been proposed to promote water reuse. |
| Green Roofs | No | Green roofs are not considered economically viable or required on this site considering installation and operational costs. |
| Proprietary Treatment Systems | No | The use of proprietary treatment systems is not considered economically viable or required on this site considering installation and operational costs. |
| Filter Strips | No | Filter strips have not been considered the most effective proposal for this site due to the proposed site layout. |
| Filter Drains | No | Filter Drains have not been considered the most effective proposal for this site due to the proposed site layout. |
| Swales | No | Swales are not suitable for this scheme due to available space and proposed land use. |
| Bioretention Systems | Yes | Raingardens are proposed. |
| Porous Pavements | Yes | Tanked permeable parking areas are proposed. |
| Attenuation Storage | Yes | Storage is proposed via the use of tanked permeable parking areas. |
The kind of condition this discharges
Wording differs between officers, but a scheme like this one is normally answering a condition along these lines:
No development shall commence until a detailed surface water drainage scheme, demonstrating that surface water will be restricted to greenfield run-off rates for all storm events up to and including the 1 in 100 year event plus an allowance for climate change, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
The greenfield run-off calculation and the attenuation volume are what answer this one. There is a fuller guide to discharging drainage planning conditions if you want to read up on the process.
Outcome
Hydraulic simulation showed no flooding in the 1-, 30- or 100-year storm events, including the climate change allowance. The scheme was approved at planning.
Every scheme in these case studies was approved — that is the point of the exercise. If you have a drainage condition to discharge, send us the wording and the site address and we will tell you exactly what is needed.
More on drainage design in Birmingham, browse the rest of our case studies, or see what a drainage strategy involves.