Sustainable drainage systems, or SuDS, are designed to manage surface water in a way that mirrors natural drainage processes rather than channelling rainfall directly into sewers or watercourses. Features such as attenuation ponds, swales, permeable paving and detention basins slow the rate at which water is released, treat it as it moves through the system, and discharge it at a controlled rate. The aim is to reduce flood risk, improve water quality, and deliver wider benefits for biodiversity and amenity in the process.
The regulatory picture around SuDS in England continues to develop. Defra published refreshed National Standards for Sustainable Drainage Systems in June 2025, applied through the National Planning Policy Framework rather than a separate statutory approval process. Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, which would introduce mandatory SuDS Approving Body sign-off, has not yet been commenced in England, though Wales has operated under this mandatory regime since 2019.
Regardless of how the statutory position in England develops, local planning authorities increasingly expect developments to demonstrate controlled discharge rates and resilience against extreme rainfall. For engineers and contractors, that means flow control infrastructure needs to perform reliably over the lifetime of the asset.
AQUIKO’s product range is built around exactly this requirement. Our range of WaStop non-return valves, available from DN75 through to DN1800, use a flexible membrane design to prevent backflow at outfalls and attenuation connections, protecting SuDS features from tidal ingress or surcharging during high water levels. Our flap valve range, manufactured in the UK from UV-stable HDPE and rated to 8mWC, is available in Wall, Pipe, Flange and Square Mounted configurations, giving designers a way to control one-way discharge from drainage and attenuation systems into receiving watercourses. Alongside these, our penstock range, spanning Standard, Flood-Defence, Inline, Hand Stop, Double Leaf, Flush Invert, Weir and Channel variants, allows flow into and out of SuDS components such as balancing ponds and detention basins to be regulated or isolated, supporting both the controlled discharge rates called for in the National Standards and straightforward access for maintenance.
As SuDS requirements continue to evolve, AQUIKO is committed to supplying flow control products that help engineers and developers deliver compliant, resilient drainage schemes.
