Permeable paving doesn't limit your options

Permeable paving has come very much to the fore as local authorities insist on any new driveway or hard standing surface between your property and the highway being constructed of a permeable surface.

Permeable surfaces allow rainwater to drain through rather than run off into already over-pressed road and verge drainage systems.

Non-permeable surfaces increase the risk of localised flooding and carry any driveway spills of pollutants - oil and other mechanical fluids - directly into local waterways, posing a threat to wildlife and the environment as well as making water filtration plants work harder.

However, being permeable doesn't mean your choice of surface is greatly reduced. These days, there are a number of professionally fitted options including permeable block pavers, concrete blocks and even permeable 'tarmac'.

Gravel and so called grass pavers (where the grass/soil is contained within a concrete cell structure) are also excellent permeable surface choices.

Some resin-bound surfaces are also permeable.

If you're interested in saving and retaining rainwater, then permeable driveway construction can still include traps to feed into your water storage tanks. If you don't want a permeable surface, then drainage and disposal of surface water will be key elements - especially as you'll need planning permission for a non-permeable surface.

SInce 2008, rules have been in force regarding permeable surfaces. Even if you're replacing an existing area of driveway or hard standing (like a patio), you'll need to use a permeable solution.

Latest guidelines suggest any non permeable hard surface area over 5sq metres will require planning permission - something your preferred paving contractor should be able to help you with quite easily. Permeable surfaces allowing rainwater to drain through naturally will not normally require planning permission but if in doubt, check with your preferred driveway/paving contractor or local planning authority for guidance before starting.

Failure to adhere to planning regulations could come back to haunt you in the future - especially if you come to sell the property.

It's worth noting that Scotland and Wales may have their own regulations - the planning regulations referred to in our article applying to England only. As far as we are aware, the regulations in England only apply to driveways or other hard standing areas on the front of your property or land between the house and the public highway.

Don't forget, you can get an instant online driveway, patio or path quote from Paving Quoter - salesman free quotes.

This article first appeared on our weekly homeowner newsletter dated 16h May 2011. Click here to read the full newsletter.

Permeable paving the answer to surface water?

If you've been doing your homework prior to getting a few driveway quotes, then you've probably come across the term permeable paving.

Permeable paving basically allows surface rainwater to soak through rather than just run off into existing storm drains etc.

The problems created by surface water can be seen whenever a 'flash-flood' occurs or during a prolonged period of heavy rain. Drains overflow, ditches and streams can't cope and in some cases, rivers burst their banks engulfing property and threatening lives.

The last decade has seen extensive paving activity as our lifestyles dictate that we have less time to spend in the garden and so we have opted for lower maintenance decking, patios and of course, extended our driveways to cope with increased car ownership per household.

All this surfacing has meant that whereas much rain water would have just soaked away naturally, with so much area 'paved', the water is running off to drainage points like household drains and roadside drains.

The system is unable to cope - as we have seen.

There is also the problem of pollutants - oil, fuel and other car fluids etc that may be washed away with rain and end up being deposited in rivers where they can pollute and cause a hazard to wildlife. These same pollutants may find there way into water treatment centres where, although they are filtered out, still necessitate extra filtering etc. before being clean enough to be returned to the drinking water supply.

The Government introduced some tough new planning measures to ensure that future paving activity didn't add to the problem of accumulated surface water and in many cases, permission will only be granted for permeable paving.

Indeed, there are now specific block pavers which encourage water to 'soak away' either through their design or the material they are built from.

Your local paving companies will have more information on what's allowed etc but if you've any particular concerns about surface water, then speak to them individually before you agree any work / costs as there are a number of solutions including choosing the right design of block or sub-surface.

This article was first published in our weekly homeowner newsletter dated 7th February 2011.

photo credit: m hicks

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.

To get competitive quotes from up to 3 local approved paving companies to where you live, use Paving Quoter – get an instant online quote that we can back up (at your request) with a UK wide directory of approved installers.