Meristem Design shares toolkit for SuDS schemes
BALI member Meristem Design has set out five key steps in delivering residential SuDS schemes, based on its own experience of delivery on both private and government-owned properties.
SuDS – which stands for sustainable drainage systems – include a range of nature-based interventions which are designed to intercept, store and filter water, delivering benefits for flooding, water quality and nature.
As detailed on its website, Meristem Design has completed a number of particularly interesting projects over the years, including shared rain gardens in Waltham Forest and Kensington and garden planters in Barnet and Southwark.
The business says that it has learned a lot from delivering such projects for the benefit of the environment and local community, and it has developed a five-step process to help others deliver residential SuDS schemes:
- Residential engagement – leaflet drops and face-to-face conversations at an early stage and involving residents in planting and installation
- Site surveys – independent, individual-level surveys for private properties and broader, community-wide approaches to Council-owned properties
- Calculations – using software which calculates required attenuation based on factors like roof size and typical rainfall
- Installation – coordination with partners and residents, working in quieter hours, and leaving the site clean
- Aftercare – communicating plant maintenance tips to residents through, for instance, an operations and maintenance manual
Further detail on each stage in available on the Meristem Design website.