July 2026

Soakaway or No Way?

All too often we see strategies relying on infiltration, but there are key hurdles to any site that is being delivered on this basis.

-Half drain time - Is this achieved within the required period?
-Has suitable groundwater monitoring been undertaken?
-Do the depths of the infiltration testing reflect where the base of your SUDS feature/crates will be?

All part of the ABEL DD package.

PV PV PV 🌞

40% of your GF area = quantum of PV - Part L 2026.

Yes there’s dispensation in the regulations, but it’s certainly not straight forward.

If you haven’t got group technical functions dealing with this get onto your SAP assessors ASAP.

Highways pre-apps 🛣️

Based on discussions with 3 or 4 LHAs (adoption side, not planning) - These authorities are on board with the principle of discussing adoption requirements simultaneously with planning.

I think developers need to start changing the mindset here - yes you may not get the S38 tech approved, however, you could potentially get feedback on the principles and secure comfort that your design is heading in the right direction.

As always — we can help with any of the above. We see these issues across a huge range of sites, so chances are we've solved yours before.

100+ Technical Reports.
Hundreds of sites.
S278 & S38 work across tens of authorities.

The above reflects our interpretation based on current guidance, emerging industry positions and live project experience. It should not be relied upon as formal advice and may change as further detail is released. Always carry out your own due diligence and seek project specific advice.