Bloor Homes’ residential development in Felixstowe, Suffolk provides a practical example of implementing Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) within the constraints of modern UK housing projects. The development occurred during a period of regulatory transition, requiring navigation of new environmental requirements while managing the realities of urban site limitations.
The project demonstrates the practical challenges developers face when balancing traditional drainage approaches with nature-based solutions. Rather than achieving full SuDS compliance, the development adopted a hybrid approach that offers insights into cross-disciplinary coordination, maintenance planning, and the implementation of sustainable infrastructure in constrained environments. The outcomes provide useful lessons for the housing industry as it adapts to evolving drainage requirements and sustainable development practices.
Understanding the Background
The Felixstowe development represents a flagship project by Bloor Homes, featuring 2, 3, and 4-bedroom homes in the Suffolk coastal town. Built with sustainability at the forefront, the development incorporates not only SuDS for surface water management but also solar PV panels and EV charging options. The project emerged during a pivotal moment in SuDS policy implementation in Suffolk, meaning it provides unique insights into the regulatory transition period when sustainable drainage shifted from a consideration to a requirement.
Outlined planning permission was granted without the inclusion of SuDS before requirements in Suffolk took effect. The project was assessed by the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) standards who requested that SuDS needed to form a part of the plans. The development required civil engineering solutions that bridged the ecological aspiration for the site, with the practical constraints on the outline consent. This created the need for cross disciplinary collaboration involving Bloor Homes, Suffolk Highways Authority and the LLFA.
Technical and Design Solutions
The final design employed GreenBlue Urban’s raingarden system, also known as HydroPlanter, providing a sophisticated hybrid approach that optimised limited urban space while meeting regulatory requirements. Unlike traditional attenuation methods such as ponds and basins, which can consume valuable land and create unsightly spaces, this raingarden system offered a more aesthetically pleasing and environmentally beneficial alternative.
The HydroPlanters help manage runoff directly from roads and gradually attenuate water into specialised soil while filtering out pollutants. The system proved incredibly efficient, becoming fully operational within just a few hours of installation, significantly streamlining project timelines and reducing complexity.
Soakaways handled most roof water drainage where soil conditions permitted infiltration. The design maximised soakaway use within the constraint of maintaining 5-metre separation from buildings, demonstrating how site-specific solutions can optimise natural drainage processes. Underground crates provided essential storage capacity where infiltration was insufficient or space constraints prevented surface solutions. The hybrid approach significantly reduced the crate infrastructure compared to a conventional system.
Performance Outcomes and Benefits
The residential site presented significant space constraints that drove innovative design solutions, requiring the team to develop space-efficient alternatives. The HydroPlanters provided a solution that delivered sustainable drainage benefits while optimising valuable development land.
The implemented HydroPlanters system provided significant performance benefits beyond regulatory compliance. The raingardens created an effective pre-filtration system that reduced maintenance requirements for downstream infrastructure by preventing silt and grit from entering traditional drainage networks.
A key advantage of the HydroPlanters over traditional surface water management tactics proved to be their low-maintenance nature. While traditional systems including gullies often require significant upkeep to clear debris and avoid blockages, the raingardens are self-sustaining and require minimal maintenance over time. The reduced maintenance not only saves costs but ensures the stormwater management system remains effective without frequent intervention.
The development achieved notable aesthetic improvements that enhanced its market appeal. The integration of HydroPlanters with the road network created an attractive streetscape that differentiated the development in the local housing market. This aesthetic value was recognised by all stakeholders and represents a significant economic benefit that justifies SuDS investment beyond environmental or regulatory drivers, particularly as buyers become increasingly aware of wellbeing benefits associated with green spaces.
The project serves as an important pilot for highways authority adoption of raingarden technology. The 12-18 month developer maintenance period before handover to highways provides systematic evaluation of performance and maintenance requirements. This real-world testing creates valuable precedent for future projects and builds confidence in sustainable drainage technologies among infrastructure managers.
Lessons Learned and Wider Implications
Successful implementation required extensive negotiation between agencies with different priorities and constraints. The key success factor was focusing on shared objectives – flood risk management and long-term maintainability – while finding creative solutions that addressed each stakeholder’s additional priorities. This collaborative approach enabled innovation within existing institutional frameworks.
Richard Jackson Limited were employed by Bloor Homes as their civil engineering Consultant, and they played a pivotal role in the design and delivery of the Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) for this project. Senior Civil Engineer Christopher Jacob shared his insights on the process:
“What made the Felixstowe project exemplary was how innovative collaboration delivered multiple benefits simultaneously. We took a complex regulatory challenge involving three different agencies with different priorities and turned it into an opportunity for innovation. The HydroPlanters didn’t just help solve the drainage requirements, they optimised our land use, streamlined the construction timeline, created an attractive development that appeals to buyers, and established a maintenance-friendly system. Most importantly, we proved that sustainable infrastructure can be a genuine asset rather than just a regulatory requirement and when approached in the correct manner, it is possible to engage with highway departments in a positive manner to give them the confidence to adopt non-standard solutions .
“When you align the right technology with stakeholder needs, you can create solutions that work for everyone. Developers get efficiency and market appeal, regulators get effective flood management, highways get maintainable systems, and residents get beautiful, functional green spaces. This project demonstrated that thoughtful collaboration and pragmatic innovation can deliver lasting sustainable infrastructure that benefits all stakeholders.”
The case demonstrates that SuDS adoption is driven as much by market differentiation, aesthetic appeal, and operational efficiency as by regulatory compliance. The positive feedback from both residents and potential buyers regarding the green, landscaped environment created by the HydroPlanters, combined with the system’s low maintenance requirements and cost-effectiveness, suggests opportunities for promoting sustainable infrastructure through market mechanisms rather than purely regulatory approaches.
The critical importance of maintenance considerations in infrastructure design decisions suggests that successful sustainable infrastructure implementation requires early engagement with long-term operators. Design solutions that align with existing maintenance capabilities and philosophies are more likely to be adopted and sustained over time.
Future Considerations
The Felixstowe development demonstrates that successful sustainable infrastructure implementation often requires pragmatic compromise and creative problem-solving. The project delivered significant flood risk management, operational efficiency, and aesthetic benefits through collaborative stakeholder engagement and innovative hybrid design approaches. The project received positive feedback not only from the development team but also from the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) and Highways Authority, validating the system’s effectiveness and reliability.
The case provides valuable lessons for practitioners navigating the complex intersection of environmental regulation, infrastructure management, and development economics. Most significantly, it demonstrates that the innovative inclusion of nature-based SuDS as part of the wider drainage network for new developments can provide substantial benefits when aligned with stakeholder priorities and operational realities, suggesting pathways for wider adoption of nature-based infrastructure solutions in constrained urban environments.
