Appendix 7 – Summary of Drainage Asset Management Plan

Purpose of the Plan
This plan sets out how the Council will manage and maintain East Sussex’s highway drainage network to keep roads safe, prevent flooding, and protect the environment. It replaces the 2015–2018 strategy and aligns with the Council’s wider Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plans.

Why it Matters

• Effective drainage keeps roads open and safe in all weather.
• Poor drainage risks flooding, road closures, property damage, and environmental harm.
• Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of rainfall events, making resilience critical.

What’s Covered

• Assets: 93,000 gullies, 10,000 grips, 505km ditches, 2,700km pipes, 7,150 catchpits, 679 soakaways, 1,832 outfalls, and 7 balancing ponds.
• Scope: All adopted highways in East Sussex; excludes private systems, public sewers, and trunk road drainage.
• Approach: Risk-based management – prioritising the assets most critical to safety, service, and environmental protection.

Key Service Objectives

• Remove water from roads quickly (within 2 hours after normal rain).
• Maintain at least 90% of drainage assets in good or fair condition.
• Focus extra attention on high-risk locations (flood hotspots, conservation areas, critical roads).
• Respond to high-priority incidents within 2 hours.

How Work is Delivered

• Partnership with Balfour Beatty Living Places under the East Sussex Highways contract.
• Routine and reactive maintenance, plus planned upgrades based on priority scoring.
• Developer-funded assets must meet strict standards before adoption, with commuted sums for long-term maintenance.
• Stronger links with communities for reporting and tracking drainage issues.

Risks and Challenges

• Increasing rainfall intensity and extreme weather events.
• Ageing infrastructure and incomplete data records.
• Limited budgets requiring careful prioritisation.

Commitment Going Forward

• Move from reactive fixes to proactive prevention.
• Use technology and innovation (e.g. sensors, predictive modelling) to improve efficiency.
• Be transparent in reporting performance and priorities.
• Work collaboratively with communities and partner agencies.

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Development Areas (2025–2030)

1. Asset Inventory Completion and Verification – Complete and verify location/condition data for key drainage assets and integrate into asset management systems.
2. Integrated Risk Profiling Framework – Combine condition data, flood maps, traffic importance, and climate vulnerability into a single prioritisation model.
3. Targeted Condition Monitoring Programme – Focus inspections on high-risk or data-deficient assets, prioritising those in very poor condition or flood-prone areas.
4. Data and System Integration Across Functions – Improve connectivity between asset, flood, and planning systems to streamline information sharing and modelling.
5. Climate Impact Mapping and Adaptation Priority List – Map drainage assets against flood risk and climate projections to target resilience upgrades.
6. Data Quality Assurance Protocol – Establish a formal process to ensure asset data is accurate, consistent, and regularly updated.