SUDS Policy panel

This evening we had a Policy Panel at Stroud District Council with Colin Knight talking about Shared Spaces and the plans for Stonehouse - very inspiring - I hope that the Town Council and partnership there can carry it forward as I am sure it will greatly enhance the town - see label below for more info on Shared Spaces.

Photo: SUDs scheme

The other topic of discussion was on Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems with Bob Bray - put on at my request as I felt things were not moving forward on this and I had heard some statements from councillors who sat on planning who clearly had little idea about what SUDs really are.

In fact we have an excellent SUDs scheme at Springhill Co-housing (see previous blogs for photos and details) - nationally recognised - but nothing has come forward since then - having said that the bigger schemes planned like Hunts Grove do have SUDs and awareness is growing but we are doing nothing like enough.

I was pleased to see David Drew MP raise the issue in a comment piece in The Citizen this week or was it last week and I wrote to him this evening - see below.

Dear David, I was very pleased to read your comment piece in The Citizen on Sustainable Urban Drainage systems. I hear the Lyons SUDs scheme is good but, we have, as I am sure you are aware, a nationally recognised scheme at the Springhill Co-housing in Stroud - in a high density housing scheme and on a steep slope that developers had claimed was impossible for SUDs. I have been frustrated that more SUDs schemes have not been forthcoming in the District - things have improved recently and more will come through with the larger developments. Last year, when I was on Development Control Committee I must have raised SUDs as an additional condition on planning applications in at least 40 cases even though it is a stated condition in the Local Plan. Stroud District have kindly put on a Policy Panel for councillors this evening at my request with Bob Bray talking more re SUDs. I hope this will lead to greater awareness but consider we need more action also from the Government - an issue I raised in my submission re the recent floods (i). Another issue is the shared responsibilities - and our County Council are, apparently, not helpful when it comes to SUDs - all sorts of myths abound like permeable hard surfaces need more maintenance or are more expense etc. There clearly are also issues around adoption of schemes. However some Councils seem to be getting around these very successfully. I have corresponded with OFWAT and Defra re SUDs and found there lack of urgency frustrating (ii) - I understand SUDs are mandatory in Scotland for example yet the SUDs Working Group here seems to move at a snails pace. I would love to see a better lead on this from Government. Your thoughts on how best to take the ideas forward would be very welcomed. All the best - Philip (i) See my flood report on 10th September 2007 blog.
(ii) See previous blogs for copies of correspondence - use search facility.