The NW SuDS Pro-forma: What It Is, Why LLFAs Want It, and How to Get It Right
More and more planning applications across the North West now need a completed NW SuDS Pro-forma. If you're a developer, housebuilder or architect, this guide covers what the pro-forma is, why it exists and what a design that passes it looks like.
What is the NW SuDS Pro-forma?
The North West SuDS Pro-forma was put together by Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) across the region and United Utilities. It gives every development in the North West the same way to set out its SuDS strategy and its maintenance strategy.
It's more than a form to fill in. It makes applicants show that their drainage design has been thought through from the start, with a clear account of how rainfall is managed across the whole site and how each feature will be looked after once it's built.
Why was it introduced?
SuDS design has changed a lot in the last ten years. The old approach was an "end of pipe" solution: pipe the whole development down to one large pond with a flow control at the outfall, and call it SuDS.
Ponds and basins still have a place in a good SuDS design. But a scheme that relies only on them shows a poor understanding of source control, which means managing rainfall where it lands rather than sending it downstream.
The NW SuDS Pro-forma was created to push back on unconsidered designs like these. It promotes:
Rainwater capture such as water butts, rainwater harvesting and green roofs
Source control measures that deal with runoff close to where it falls
SuDS that can actually be maintained, with a realistic plan for who looks after what, and how, for the life of the development
LLFAs are asking for it more often
Local Planning Authorities and LLFAs across the North West are asking for the NW SuDS Pro-forma with planning applications more and more. If your drainage strategy doesn't include one, or the pro-forma doesn't match the design, expect conditions, requests for more information or delays.
The National SuDS Standards 2025
The release of the National SuDS Standards 2025 has added weight to the pro-forma. The standards expect SuDS to be used across the whole development, not bolted on at the end. That means permeable paving, rain gardens, swales and other surface features spread through the site, rather than the outdated pipe-to-pond approach.
The NW SuDS Pro-forma fits well with this. A design that works for the pro-forma will already be heading in the direction the National Standards want.
Good SuDS design can reduce storage
Good SuDS design isn't only about compliance. It can save money.
A well-designed system that includes interception losses (capturing the first 5mm of rainfall) and uses infiltration where ground conditions allow can reduce the overall attenuation storage needed across a development. Less storage means smaller tanks and basins, less excavation and more developable land.
This is where getting the design right early pays off. Source control is not only a box to tick for the LLFA. It often works out cheaper than a large engineered solution at the bottom of the site.
How Moss Drainage can help
We've worked with a wide range of developers on their SuDS strategies and consistently satisfied Local Planning Authorities across the North West. We can help with:
Preparing and completing the NW SuDS Pro-forma for your planning application
SuDS strategies built on source control, interception and infiltration
Drainage strategies and Flood Risk Assessments to support planning
Maintenance plans that are realistic and that LLFAs will accept
Responding to LLFA consultation comments and discharging drainage conditions
Need a NW SuDS Pro-forma for your next application? Get in touch and let's talk about your site.