It doesn’t require an expert to tell people living in a town with a river flowing through it that water plays an important role in shaping places!
Stamford’s entire history has developed on the banks of the Welland, while the farms, fields and gardens of the wider area are, of course, dependent on water. In recent years, the climate has become ever less predictable, with more examples of drought and tropical rainfall. This is baked into our plans for Stamford North as a period of prolonged rainfall collecting under new roofs and on new paths and roads can have significant and long-term impact.
We will achieve this through SUDS, or Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, one of the starting points for our masterplan. These are features built into the landscape that slow down, store and guide rainwater safely.
The challenge
Building new homes changes how rainwater moves across land. Roofs, roads and paving allow water to run off more quickly than open ground. If this is not managed carefully, it can increase pressure on surrounding land and watercourses.
At Stamford North, the starting point is the shape and geology of the site. The land sits within a dry valley which slopes down to the east towards the Gwash, just beyond the edge of the new place. Rainwater already moves through this landscape in a particular way. Much of it soaks into the ground and then travels more slowly through groundwater flow because the site is underlain by limestone, which is highly permeable. In simple terms, the rock below the site allows rainwater to pass through it relatively quickly.
The picture is slightly different on the higher ground to the north and south of the valley, where there are clay layers above the limestone. These clays are less permeable, so rainwater tends to move downhill off them before reaching the valley floor, where it can then soak away more easily into the limestone closer to the surface.
Any drainage strategy for Stamford North therefore needs to respond to these existing conditions and work with them.
Our approach
Our starting point is the land itself. The shape of the valley and the underlying limestone geology tell us a great deal about how rainwater already moves through the site. Understanding these conditions early allows the masterplan to be shaped around them.
At Stamford North, the permeability of the limestone means that, subject to regulatory approval, infiltration is likely to play an important role in the drainage strategy. This means creating features that allow rainwater to soak into the ground in a controlled way, rather than moving it off site as quickly as possible.
This could include shallow or deeper soakaways, as well as landscape features such as infiltration basins or swales. These are all designed to hold, slow and guide rainwater while helping it filter naturally into the ground. Rather than treating drainage as something separate from the masterplan, these features are built into the wider landscape of the new place.
This is a landscape-led approach. The new place is shaped around the site’s natural valley form and underlying geology, working with the way water already moves through the land.
What happens next
As the design develops, the drainage strategy will be tested in more detail and discussed with regulators before being finalised. That includes confirming the right balance of drainage features across the site, and making sure they respond properly to the site’s geology, slopes and relationship with the Gwash.
SUDS can sound technical, but the principle is simple. We start with how rainwater already moves through the landscape, and we design in a way that respects those conditions, creating space for water to be managed safely and responsibly as the new place takes shape.
If you would like to explore how water management shapes Stamford North, feel free to get in touch or take part in discussions at any of our future events. For more general information on SUDS, please visit “How we manage water drainage”.