Peterborough paving the way with sustainable drainage
Peterborough City Council have implemented innovative permeable paving technology, designed to mimic natural drainage, in two locations across Peterborough.
Traditionally rainwater from roads flow across the surface and into a network of underground pipes that takes the water to the local watercourse and rivers. The pipes move the water and any pollution it contains quickly into these rivers which can cause flooding and damage to the environment. One way of reducing the pollution and slowing the water down is to use permeable paving instead of traditional road surfacing.
Permeable paving looks like normal block paving from the surface but has gaps between the blocks that allow the water to pass through the road surface. Underneath those blocks the water passes down through layers of grit and stone which help to remove pollution and slow down the water before it can soak into the ground as it would have done naturally before the road was built.
If the subsoil is clay then a permeable pipe can be placed under the grit and stone to collect the water and drain this through a pipe into a river. This water is then cleaner and slower moving than it would have been with a traditional drainage system.
These systems have been approved for a number of years on new developments in Peterborough but more recently Peterborough City Council are starting to adopt permeable paving systems themselves.
Two such locations in Peterborough include; the recent regeneration of the car park on Central Avenue where a traditional construction car park was replaced with permeable paving allowing the water to soak into the ground and mimic the natural process rather than be carried away in pipes. Another location is a Cross Keys Homes development of 28 new houses known as Fleetwood Crescent where the council are adopting the road. Once Fleetwood crescent was built the paving was tested by dropping water on the surface and a video of this can be found on YouTube.
If you want to know more about SuDS or permeable paving then please contact the council’s SuDS Team firstname.lastname@example.org or visit their website www.peterborough-suds.org.uk