Eco-friendly homes: Paving way to a greener future

By David Hoppit
Posted: 2010/06/04

HOW times have changed. The front garden to my great-aunt Charlotte's Essex cottage was a picture of productivity and joy.

She used to pay me a tanner (six old pennies) if I could find a weed among her lupins, onions, lettuce, beans and other crops. She lived a simple life, using an ancient bicycle with a huge basket on the handlebars to do what little shopping she needed and to get to church.

I often drive past the cottage (now surrounded by prosaic modern dwellings) and remember those happy times. My great-aunt went to the garden in the sky many years ago and the cottage is now occupied by a young family with all the trappings of modern society.

Gone is her little bicycle shed, replaced by a rather ugly garage. There's not a bean to be seen and apart from a tiny patch of lawn the front garden is now covered with concrete. On its own that stretch of concrete would not be a problem but over the years nearly every front garden nearby has been covered with asphalt or concrete, resulting in axle-deep flood water at the bottom of the hill several times during our recent wet winter.

Gardens absorb rainwater but concrete doesn't. The result is a big risk of flooding. A recent report in Which? Gardening, following aerial photography, estimated that in Greater London alone more than12 square miles of front gardens had been covered with concrete or some other impermeable material. Now, and not before time, planning regulations have been adjusted so that consent is needed before the rose bushes give way to hard standing for vehicles. The exception to that, of course, is when approved permeable paving is used.

But what about an Englishman's castle and all that? Why shouldn't he be able to concrete his garden if he wants to? After all, not everyone has the time or inclination to weed the wallflowers.

The fact is that many of our drains date from Victorian times or earlier. They were just not designed to cope with the huge volumes of surface water, such as those pouring from 12 square miles of concrete in the London area.

To redesign and rebuild our network of drains would cost £10,000 per household according to one estimate, so it's a case of prevention rather than cure. As it is they have to cope with all the water from the roof, which in an average lifetime is bombarded with nearly 800,000 gallons of water, weighing 3,500 tons.

Even a small garden would be washed with the same volume but hitherto it was absorbed into the ground and from there into the natural water table.
Two of the biggest players in the permeable paving market are Marshalls and Hanson. John Lloyd, head of design for Hanson Formpave, said the system wasable to cope with a once-in-100 years downpour.

"Most greenfield sites and gardens can absorb up to 20 gallons of water in a square yard in an hour and Formpave can achieve at least 95 per cent of that," said Mr Lloyd.

Geoffrey Poole of Marshalls said that with housing densities growing ever greater the risks of flooding had to be addressed. The pavers are not in themselves porous but each has vertical drainage slots at the side. The water is channelled through them into clean, sharp grit and if it is to be harvested, through a further layer of non-woven textile that "digests" microbes and hydrocarbons.

The industry is still in its infancy but already many housing developments and individual homes have opted for permeable paving, some of them going a stage further and "harvesting" and cleaning the surface water in underground tanks which can then be used for flushing toilets, washing cars or irrigating the garden.

Jane Spindler chose the Hanson Formpave system for the drives and paths around her Bristol home for both aesthetic and environmental reasons. She also had the company's multi-functional Aquaflow system installed so she can now "harvest" and store rain.

Miss Spindler is semi-retired and a keen gardener. She's also passionate about harnessing natural energy to heat her home and is a green crusader.
"I had solar panels fitted which save me a fortune in electricity bills and I've installed a pump to bring the harvested rainwater into butts next to the garden so even in a drought there is always plenty for my garden," she said.

She added: "As well as providing an ideal environmental solution for my property the paving looks wonderful. I am very pleased and it is much admired by all my visitors."
Close to Chigwell in Essex, Rosemary and Douglas Sweet have greatly improved the appearance of their already beautiful country home by having the sweeping front drive paved.
They chose paving made by Brett for appearance and for its efficiency in dispersing the rainwater. However, because of the contours of the land they decided against harvesting the surface water.
Improved

"They took up all the old asphalt and hard core before putting in the porous layers of sand and pebbles on which the paving sits," said Mr Sweet. "The water is carefully channelled so that it drains onto the adjacent lawn, rather than down to the road. It cost about £80 a square metre but has improved the appearance and increased the value of our home."

Not just individual homes are benefiting from these new systems. Andrew Heard of Case Consultants reckons he has already chosen Formpave for at least 30 housing association developments of up to 40 houses and flats.

Mr Heard, based in Torquay, Devon, said most of the developments, by the likes of both Sovereign and Magna housing associations, used the paving for footpaths, parking spaces and even for access roads.

Experts refer to the system as Suds (sustainable urban drainage systems). "We have been using the system for several years now, before the new regulations came into force," Mr Heard said.

"The only problem we encounter is from local authorities nervous of such innovations, often insisting upon commuted sums in case of future maintenance and repairs.We are also cautious about harvesting rainwater for use inthe homes."

• The paving systems are just one of a vast range of new and innovative building products that are addressing the strict new codes of building. The Daily Express, in tandem with the new Eco Excellence Awards, will be promoting and reporting on the very best products now available.

These are the only awards that recognise and reward the best in low-carbon technology, sustainable building and sustainable,eco-friendly building products. The deadline for entry registration is July 30.

INFORMATION:
• 0845 0213075
• e-mail: info@ecoexcellence.co.uk
• www.ecoexcellence.co.uk