S5: Amenity

S5

What S5 requires

Source: Defra Non-Statutory Technical Standards for Sustainable Drainage Systems (2015, refreshed 19 June 2025), Standard S5. Reproduced in CIRIA C753 §5 (Designing for amenity) and supported by NPPF/PPG guidance on green infrastructure.

S5 requires multifunctional design that creates attractive, healthy places. SuDS features should not be purely functional drainage infrastructure; they should contribute to the quality of the public realm, support community wellbeing, and integrate with landscape and urban design.

Visual Amenity

Detention basins and retention ponds should be designed as focal points with attractive planting, seating areas, and clear sightlines. Swales should be integrated with paths and landscaping, enhancing the streetscape rather than appearing as mere ditches. Green roofs and living walls soften built form and add visual interest.

Health and Wellbeing

Research consistently shows that access to green space, water features, and nature improves mental health, physical activity, and social cohesion. SuDS design should maximize these benefits: creating walking routes around retention ponds, providing shaded areas beneath trees, and supporting habitat that encourages wildlife observation and engagement.

Climate Resilience

Vegetation in SuDS features provides valuable ecosystem services in addition to drainage and treatment: trees and shrubs provide shade, reducing urban heat island effect; permeable surfaces reduce surface reflectivity; water features provide evaporative cooling. In a warming climate, these co-benefits are increasingly important.

Recreation and Active Transport

Where reasonably practicable, SuDS features should support walking and cycling: swales can be integrated with cycle paths, detention basins can be surrounded by walking trails, and permeable surfacing should be specified for pedestrian and cycle routes to improve permeability and create connected networks.

Assessment: Amenity is assessed qualitatively rather than through quantified thresholds. Design appraisals, site plans, and landscape drawings should demonstrate how SuDS features have been integrated with public realm design and how they contribute to place quality.