In early July, the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) provided an update on sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) implementation or Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act. The agency also released Draft SuDs National Standards and Specified Criteria for Sustainable Drainage.

The agency restated that it will be unable to implement Schedule 3 by October 2014 as originally planned. Originally mentioned in a May email, Defra again said in its July newsletter that “the Government remains committed to implementing SuDS at the earliest available opportunity, but not in a way that affects development.”

In its newsletter, Defra also announced draft guidance created by stakeholders to help local governments and developers implement the SuDS National Standards. The agency also conducted a SuDS Approving Body Preparedness Survey. Additionally, Defra hosted a table top exercise in June to test the interactions between the Local Planning Authority and SuDS Approving Body planning application and SuDS approval processes.