Concrete block permeable paving can provide a controlled source of clean water as a sustainable amenity for landscaping, ecology and water harvesting, as a leading SUDS specialist has demonstrated.
As a sustainable drainage system (SUDS) technique, concrete block permeable paving is particularly useful as a source control at the head of the SUDS management train. It reduces peak rate, total volume and frequency of rainwater runoff, and is also particularly effective at removing water-borne pollution. It also offers the opportunity of a gradual supply of treated water
At a high-density town-centre housing scheme in Stamford, most public areas between buildings are concrete block permeable paving which also accepts runoff from other hard areas and roofs. Stored, treated water then passes from the paving directly into planted rills and canals, which add interest and much-needed greenery to the courtyard environment, before passing into the nearby river. This principle is expanded on a hillside Co-housing scheme in Stroud. Here, treated, stored water from concrete block permeable paved car parking feeds a ‘waterfall’ onto a planted swale, then via planted rills into a wildlife pond and existing stream.
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