CONCRETE & STONEWORK
Good paving design helps create attractive spaces that will help encourage walking and cycling , meeting current government requirements . It is also central to the rejuvenation of our high streets , as part of their reinvention with the demise of town centre shopping .
Improving Streets Community-led neighbourhood improvements near Turnpike Lane , London , highlight regeneration to limit traffic and encourage social interaction . A joint initiative between Haringey Council and Sustrans , the project delivers long-lasting improvements to an established residential area . Here , concrete block paving with a restrained palette of colours and styles establishes local character and influences the way that drivers behave . Lowintervention techniques employed include widening footways , coupled with traffic calming measures such as road narrowings and raised junctions .
Capturing Pollution But equally important to flooding is the long- and short-term damage caused by pollutants in surface water runoff to the biodiversity and health of our rivers and streams . The Greater London Authority ‘ Road Runoff Water Quality Study ’ concludes that ‘ London ’ s roads are harming London ’ s rivers ’ and proposes SuDS features to manage runoff pollution from the most damaging roads . On any trafficked surface , concrete block permeable paving offers a real opportunity to address this major problem by trapping vehicle pollution .
Permeable paving can provide a completely level , well-drained , firm and slip-resistance surface accessible to all , without the need for crossfalls , channels , gulleys or other interruptions . Rainwater ‘ ponding ’ is eliminated , reducing the risk of ice forming on the surface and preventing splashing from standing water .
Retrofit Permeable Paving Overlay Bringing these issues together , an award-winning , exemplary SuDS scheme near Australia Road , London , demonstrates the multifunctional benefits of retrofitting permeable paving in place of conventional surfaces . Its design , by Robert Bray Associates , introduces the innovative concept of concrete block permeable paving as a thin overlay for existing streets , removing rainwater straight from the surface without gulleys and providing some water attenuation and treatment before discharging to adjacent , well-planted SuDS basins .
The innovative concept of concrete block permeable paving overlays has also been used for temporary overlays to existing streets to provide a well-drained surface level with the footway for short-term pedestrian trafficking . But it opens up wider possibilities for all hardsurfaces .
An additional , key consideration is storm-water flood prevention – particularly with climate change – and concrete block permeable paving is uniquely placed as an essential , multifunctional sustainable drainage ( SuDS ) technique . In addition to paving , it also provides an inherent drainage system that requires no additional land take for water storage , treatment or conveyance . This technology eliminates pipework , gulleys and manholes , and generally costs less than conventional drainage and paving .
It also allows water to reach tree and shrub roots , despite providing a hard surface above : in fact , the Code of Practice for accessibility in the external environment , BS 8300-1:2018 , calls for permeable paving instead of tree grilles . It can also help reduce the urban heat island effect , with evaporation of rainwater within the paving . This is in addition to the high albedo – or heat reflectance – offered by modular concrete paving .
Modular concrete paving offers designers the potential to create safe , attractive and comfortable urban spaces for the post-pandemic environment , with maximum flexibility to meet future challenges and minimal interventions with retrofit , whilst reducing flooding , pollution and urban heating .
For more information , visit the Interpave website www . paving . org . uk .
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