Sustainable Solutions for Driveway Creation

Permeable Paving for Driveway Creation

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Reinforced grass
Permeable block paving
Permeable resin bound paving
Gravel with permeable subbase

Note: Always investigate your garden’s ground conditions prior to designing your new driveway so you understand the options available to you. This should involve identifying your soil type and how permeable it is. If your garden is clay based, you can still incorporate sustainable drainage (SuDS) to capture and store surface water runoff within your front garden.

Tip: If you can’t lay new permeable paving within your front garden, then unpave some of your existing hardstanding instead, to make space for planting and infiltration of rainwater into the ground. You may only need wheel tracks to accommodate a car within your front garden.

Small-scale SuDS for Front Gardens

Rain Gardens

A shallow depression within the ground which receives surface water run-off from hard surfaces. They are planted with plants that can withstand waterlogging and periods of drought. Surface water fills the depression and then drains away either via infiltration to ground or via a surface water drainage outlet.

For more information please visit:

Image: Environment Agency

Image: Meristem Design

Downspout SuDS Planters

Collect rooftop surface water runoff and store it within the planter. They help to remove surface water from the drainage network by capturing and storing rainfall, allowing it to soak into the ground, or release it slowly into the drainage network.

For more information please visit:

How to Create a Rain Garden Planter – Groundwork

Image: Meristem Design

: Image: Meristem Design

: Image: Meristem Design

: Image: Meristem Design

: Image: Meristem Design

: Image: Meristem Design

: Image: Meristem Design

: Image: Meristem Design

: Image: Meristem Design

Green Roofs

Function by intercepting and retaining rainfall, reducing the speed and volume of surface water runoff.

Green roofs can be used on houses, garden sheds, bin stores, bike stores and carports.

For more information please visit:

Green roofs / RHS Gardening

Image: Environment Agency

Image: Little Terraced House

Rainwater Butt

Function by storing surface water runoff from roofs so that it can be reused around the garden during dry weather.

Not only are rainwater butts easy to install, but they can save homeowners money by reusing the rainwater collected to water their gardens, as well as removing many litres of rainwater from the drains and sewers it otherwise would reach, helping to better manage flood risk in the community.

There are many sizes, styles, and even ‘smart’ water butts to choose from to suit any sized space and aesthetic, and you can get pumps and hose attachments for your water butt to save trips with your watering can.

For more detailed information on SuDS, please visit the following links:

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*The information on this page has been provided by the Environment Agency.

The Benefits of Greener Front Gardens

Image: Leon Davis Design

Image: Little Terraced House

Improved Surface Water Management

Plants and trees within front gardens intercept intense rainfall, slowing surface water runoff, which reduces pressure on drainage infrastructure, especially during heavy rainfall.

Improved Water Quality

Planting and permeable surfacing in front gardens helps to filter pollutants within surface water runoff from front gardens prior to draining away naturally into the ground. This helps to support the improvement of water quality in our watercourses and waterbodies.

Cooler homes

Planting within front gardens absorbs considerably less heat than hard surfacing, helping to lower the air temperature surrounding our homes, and in turn making them more pleasant places to be during the summer months.

Improved Air Quality

Plants, trees, and hedges, within front gardens improve air quality surrounding homes by trapping dust and filtering pollutants, whilst also acting as an important green buffer to roadside pollution.

Homes for Nature

Greenspace within front gardens help to boost local biodiversity by providing habitats for plants and wildlife. Front gardens provide important feeding grounds and access to surface water for bathing and hydration for our wildlife. Green front gardens can act as a shaded refuge for wildlife during periods of drought and storms.

Householder Wellbeing

Green front gardens help to reconnect householders to nature which has been scientifically proven to boost mental and physical wellbeing (RHS, 2020).

Artificial Grass: Kick it to the Kerb

Reasons to Say No to Artificial Grass

Restricts access to the soil for wildlife, destroying habitats and feeding grounds.
Restricts access to organic matter which is essential for healthy soil.
Can soar to dangerously high temperatures during the summer months, making it unsafe for people and pets.
Contributes to global warming by absorbing more radiation than real grass and by removing plants which absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.
Has a large carbon footprint associated with manufacturing, transportation, and installation.
Requires soil to be replaced with sand to create a foundation for artificial grass which contributes to the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which was previously stored in the earth.
Causes an increase in surface run off after rainfall which contributes to flooding and microplastic pollution.
Very difficult to recycle which can only be done at specialist plants after a specific cleaning process.
It is not maintenance free. It still needs to be cleaned of litter and moss growth, washed with harmful chemicals, and even hoovered!

Tip: Let your lawn grow longer to create a more naturalistic look, create habitats for nature and reduce maintenance. Reseed your lawn with low maintenance alternatives such as wildflowers, clover, and chamomile.

Sources:

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*The information on this page has been provided by the Environment Agency.

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