LLFA SuDS Pro Forma • Drainage Strategy • Defra Standards

SuDS Pro Forma Completion with Supporting Drainage Strategy

Many LLFAs require their SuDS pro forma completed and submitted with a surface water drainage strategy to validate an application or discharge a condition. We complete the pro forma and provide the calculations behind it.

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Any LLFA pro forma
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Greenfield runoff rates
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UKSuDS & Causeway calcs
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Defra SuDS standards
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Condition discharge

LLFA SuDS Pro Forma & Drainage Strategy

A growing number of Lead Local Flood Authorities now require their own surface water drainage pro forma (sometimes called a SuDS checklist or drainage assessment form) to be completed and submitted alongside a drainage strategy — either to validate a major application or to discharge a surface water drainage condition. A blank or unsupported pro forma is routinely rejected, holding up determination.

We complete the specific pro forma for your LLFA and provide the technical drainage strategy that evidences every answer on it — runoff rates, storage volumes, the drainage hierarchy and the SuDS components — so the submission stands up to LLFA scrutiny first time. The work is prepared to the non-statutory technical standards for SuDS (Defra, 2015), CIRIA C753 and your LLFA’s local standards.

What’s Included

  • ✓ LLFA pro forma completed in full — whichever form your authority uses, completed and cross-referenced to the strategy
  • ✓ Greenfield runoff rates — QBAR and the 1, 30 and 100-year rates derived using IH124 / FEH methods via UKSuDS
  • ✓ Attenuation storage design — volumes calculated for events up to the 1 in 100-year plus climate change allowance
  • ✓ Drainage hierarchy justified — infiltration, watercourse, then sewer, with discharge rates restricted to greenfield where required
  • ✓ SuDS component design — permeable paving, geocellular crates, basins, swales or proprietary devices appropriate to your site
  • ✓ Maintenance & management — SuDS management plan and adoption position where the LLFA requires it
Rain garden and sustainable drainage Surface water drainage pipework Watercourse for surface water discharge

When Do You Need a SuDS Pro Forma?

Send us your LLFA and planning reference and we’ll confirm exactly what they need. Get a free quote.

Major Applications

Most LLFAs require a completed surface water pro forma and drainage strategy as a validation requirement for major development (10+ dwellings or 0.5ha+).

Discharging a Drainage Condition

Where a surface water drainage condition has been imposed, the LLFA pro forma plus a detailed strategy is the standard route to discharge it.

Responding to an LLFA Objection

If the LLFA has objected on drainage grounds, a properly completed pro forma backed by calculations is the quickest way to resolve it. See our objection response service.

Householder & Minor Schemes

Some authorities now ask for a simplified drainage pro forma even on minor and householder applications, particularly in surface-water flood risk areas.

Brownfield Redevelopment

Redevelopment must usually demonstrate a betterment in runoff rate; the pro forma captures the existing versus proposed position, which we evidence with calculations.

Full SuDS Strategy

Where a complete strategy is required rather than just a pro forma, see our SuDS drainage strategy service.

The LLFA SuDS Proforma

The standard form many councils now require with every drainage submission.

Many Lead Local Flood Authorities require a completed SuDS proforma (or checklist) with a planning application or condition discharge. It summarises the drainage proposals in the format the LLFA's drainage officer uses to review them — site details, discharge hierarchy, run-off rates, storage volumes, treatment, maintenance — and an incomplete or inconsistent proforma is a fast track to an objection. We complete it alongside the drainage strategy it summarises so the two agree.

What the proforma asks for

Site and development details, the proposed point of discharge and why (the SuDS hierarchy), greenfield and developed run-off rates, attenuation volumes, water quality treatment, exceedance routes and the maintenance arrangements.

Council-specific versions

Proforma formats differ between LLFAs. We use the correct current version for your council and know what its drainage officers look for.

Supporting evidence

The proforma is only accepted with the strategy, calculations and drawings behind it — we provide the full package so nothing is queried.

Frequently Asked Questions

What actually is a SuDS pro forma?
It’s a standard form issued by your LLFA that captures the key surface water drainage parameters for your site — runoff rates, discharge destination, storage provision, SuDS components and maintenance. It is the LLFA’s checklist for confirming a scheme complies with national and local standards.
Do all LLFAs use the same form?
No — each authority has its own version, and the level of supporting detail expected varies. We work to whichever pro forma your LLFA uses and tailor the strategy to their local standards.
Is the pro forma enough on its own?
Almost never. The pro forma summarises the position, but the LLFA expects the calculations, drainage layout and SuDS design behind it. We provide both so the submission is complete.
Can you discharge the drainage condition for me?
Yes — completing the pro forma and strategy to discharge a surface water condition is one of the most common reasons clients come to us. We prepare the submission and respond to any LLFA queries.
How quickly can you turn it around?
A pro forma with supporting drainage strategy is typically delivered within 5–10 working days, depending on whether infiltration testing is required. We’ll confirm a timescale with your fixed-fee quote.
Which councils require a SuDS proforma?
A large and growing number of LLFAs — it is standard practice across much of England. If your council has one, its validation checklist or the drainage condition will say so; we check this for every job.
Is the proforma on its own enough?
No. It summarises a drainage strategy; the LLFA still needs the strategy report, hydraulic calculations and layout drawings that back up the figures. We prepare the proforma and its supporting package together.
How quickly can you turn a proforma and strategy around?
For a straightforward site, typically within our standard 3–5 working days; larger schemes take longer. We confirm timescale with the fixed-fee quote.

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Free, no-obligation fixed-fee quote within 24 hours. All flood zones and LLFAs covered across England and Wales.

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