Reduce Flood Damage With Permeable Driveways

Climate change and storm damage.

The Environment Agency has calculated that funding for better flood defences along our rivers and sea shores needs to be doubled to £1bn a year by 2035 if we are to avoid widespread flood damage to houses in Britain – a figure that has been difficult to get Governments and agencies to admit to in the past.

1 in 6 homes in England are already at risk from flooding, they say, whilst also warning that the effects of climate change could cause that that number to rise unless we invest heavily in improving our sea defences.

The normal cost of economic damage could be as much as £4bn a year if more is not done.

The warning came as climate impact projections predict every part of the UK was likely to receive up to 20% more rainfall in the Winter by 2080.

What Can You Do?

It can be difficult to figure out what you can do to help negate the effects of climate change, but we’re going to concentrate on one thing which will definitely help reduce the levels of flooding, and the damage caused, if these predictions turn out to be accurate: make sure your driveway and patio has proper drainage.

As more homes have replaced lawns with low-maintanance patios, our towns have become less able to deal with sudden downpours due to a lack of natural drainage. When this effect is added to rainfall increases, it isn’t hard to see that this could present problems.

In recent years, increasing awareness of surface water problems is leading to more and more ways to tackle the problem including using porous bricks and membranes which will still allow rain water to ‘soak through’ and drain away naturally.

Local planning authorities have brought in new regulations regarding surface water drainage in new driveways, but if your patio is more than just a couple of years old, it is quite likely to have been built before the new regulations came into force, and possibly to be part of the problem.

That’s why, if you’re thinking of having a new driveway laid, extending an existing driveway for additional family parking or just replacing an old surface, you should talk to your paving or driveway company about drainage and what your options are.

What’s more, the regulations only apply to newly built driveways, not to replacements, so if you're having a driveway replaced you need to be extra careful to ensure your supplier knows you want a permeable driveway.

By ensuring your driveway meets drainage standards, you could be helping to reduce the problems that climate change may bring in the future.

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