The Local Area
Peterborough lies within two river catchments and in the middle of three contrasting geological areas. To the west is undulating landscape of free draining soils over limestone, low-lying Fen areas are to the north and east with clays predominantly to the south. The River Welland runs from west to east in the north with the River Nene dissecting the urban area and running in the same direction to the south.
Why SuDS in Peterborough?
The different demands of each development will lead to a wide variety of solutions. Understanding Peterborough City Council’s priorities in terms of SuDS will help ensure the solutions are appropriate to the needs.
Our priorities
- Enable growth in a sustainable manner
- Ensure runoff from developments replicates nature
- Minimise and reduce flood risk
- Avoid the burdens of expensive maintenance
- Create habitat and protect the natural environment
The versatility of proven SuDS techniques means that there will be a suitable solution for any situation that is encountered.
Choosing the right SuDS for Peterborough
SuDS include tried-and-tested techniques that are already being implemented on a range of projects in England and Wales as well as elsewhere. They incorporate cost-effective techniques that are applicable to a wide range of schemes, from small developments to major residential, leisure, commercial or industrial operations with large areas of hard standing and roof. They can also be successfully retro-fitted to existing developments.
Similar to key considerations in the planning process, such as transport, landscape, heritage and nature conservation, incorporating SuDS needs to be considered early in the site evaluation and planning process, as well as at the detailed design stage.
It is important however that developers establish the soil, geological and hydrological conditions of their site through ground investigation at an early stage, before coming to any conclusions about the suitability of any particular SuDS system.
