Guidance

Funding maintenance of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) in new developments

Guidance for developers and maintaining bodies on agreeing commuted sums to fund the maintenance of communal SuDS in new developments in England.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
• Published: 28 October 2026

Applies to England

Documents

Guidance for funding the maintenance of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) in new developments in England

PDF, 556 KB, 69 pages

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Details

This guidance helps developers and maintaining bodies take a consistent and transparent approach to funding the long-term maintenance of communal SuDS in new developments.

It explains how to agree responsibilities and how to calculate commuted sums. It covers whole-life costs, phased planning, risk management and long-term monitoring.

Developers and maintaining bodies can adapt the approach to local circumstances and individual sites.