SuDS+ is a Defra-funded, five-year research and innovation project based in Stanley South, North Durham. It focuses on involving local people in addressing flooding problems in the area. To achieve this, we are using Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) alongside community engagement, visioning, placemaking, and co-design techniques to deliver exciting solutions designed with and for local people. SuDS aim to replicate natural processes by slowing, storing, and reducing the flow of water during periods of heavy rainfall, before gradually releasing it into the existing piped drainage system.

While SuDS and other nature-based solutions have gained popularity over the past two decades, they continue to deliver limited benefits beyond the water sector, and the existing evidence base does not fully demonstrate their potential. There is a need to understand what these benefits look like from a community perspective, and to apply innovative solutions within real-life scenarios.