Residents, businesses and communities are being given the chance to have their say on new draft planning guidance on designing sustainable drainage systems and managing flood risk in Cambridgeshire.

The Cambridgeshire Flood and Water Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) is being produced by Cambridgeshire County Council with the five other local planning authorities in the county.

The document will support policies in each local planning authority’s Local Plan.

The guidance seeks to reduce the environmental impact of new homes and businesses on the water environment. This will be through outlining how sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) should be used in new developments and how flood risk should be managed.

SuDS mimic natural drainage like gullies and ponds to manage surface water run-off from development to reduce flood risk, and can also deliver wider benefits such as providing green areas that are good for plants, animals and people.

Tanya Sheridan, head of growth and economy at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Cambridgeshire’s history is indelibly linked to reclaiming land from water through many ingenious schemes.

“Growth in Cambridgeshire needs to be sustainable and to this end we are consulting on guidance that helps manage flood risk in new developments.

“We are keen to get people’s thoughts and comments on this over the next six weeks.”

Feedback on the draft guidance can be made by 4.30pm on Friday October 16. Comments can be made online, by email or in writing.

Once finalised, developers will need to comply with the guidance when building new developments.

For more information and to make comments visit http://consult.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/portal/pp/spd/fw or contact Cambridgeshire County Council’s Growth and Development Team on 01223 706574 or e-mail GrowthDevelopment@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.