Following the Commencement of Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 in Wales in May this year, new developments in Wales will require SuDS drainage from 7 January 2019. The details of how this will work are the subject of a series of statutory instruments laid in the National Assembly for Wales on 15 October. The final version of the Statutory National Standards for SuDS was published at the same time.

The five statutory instruments provide a framework for local authorities to implement this new duty. They include provisions for application fees, the approval and adoption process, enforcement powers and appeals provisions.

Guidance to support local authorities, developers and other stakeholders in implementing the new regime has been in development for some months and is now being finalised. In addition, the training package which was trialed in Cardiff in July is being rolled out across Wales in November and December.