Paving Vs Shingle - The Environmental Issue

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We have extracted the following information from an excellent Gardening Matters document on the RHS website regarding Front Gardens.

"Paving over our front gardens might seem like the ideal way to solve parking problems. But these extra hard surfaces can have a surprising impact on the wider environment. Clearly there is less garden to enjoy, but did you know that paving can also cause flooding and increase local temperatures?

While paving over one front garden might seem of little consequence, the difficulties start when neighbours on both sides of the street do the same, effectively tripling the width of the road. But how many of us really are swapping our patches of green for the hard stuff?

When the London Assembly examined aerial photographs of the capital, it found that 12 square miles of front gardens are now under paving. This is the equivalent of 22 Hyde Parks. “If this was a real park that had been lost, there would be a huge public outcry,” says Darren Johnson, chairman of the London Assembly’s environment committee.

To get a picture of what’s happening in the rest of the country, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and the Horticultural Trades Association commissioned their own survey. This showed geographical hotspots (see Key Facts, right), including north-east England, where almost a quarter of front gardens are entirely paved.

However, the precise rate at which front gardens are being lost is not known. The only records to provide any clues are local council planning applications for dropped kerbs – ie. lowering the kerb so vehicles can cross the pavement to their driveways. In London alone, nearly 120,000 such applications have been made during the last five years. “Even these numbers are just a guide,” explains Christine Eborall, of Local Agenda 21 in Ealing, London, which is studying front gardens. “Some people illegally drop kerbs and others use ramps to get cars into their garden.”

Paving over front gardens is certainly a fact of life in many urban areas. And the effects are cumulative, which means they’re likely to become more noticeable in the future. Why is this a concern? First and foremost, it is the part hard surfaces play in causing environmental problems, and increasing the risk of flooding is top of this list.

Gardens can soak up rain, while paving,tarmac and concrete are less porous and increase the amount of rainwater that runs off by as much as 50 per cent. This additional water usually flows into street drains, which can’t always cope with the thousands of extra litres in a storm. The excess can then go back up people’s front drives to floods their homes. RHS Principal Environmental Advisor, Rebecca Matthews Joyce, explains, “The water has to go somewhere and, even if you are not flooded, it might be affecting your neighbours downhill.”

In most UK cities rainwater run-off, mixed with any pollution it picks up along the way, is channelled into storm drains and ultimately rivers. However, rather than heading straight for the natural watercourses, London’s rain goes to the sewerage system, which can’t always process the surge of water. In an emergency the excess has to be jettisoned into rivers. In one incident in 2004, more than 100,000 fish were killed in the River Thames.

The other main environmental impacts are at local level. “If vegetation is lost from our streets there is less to regulate urban temperatures,” explains Rebecca. “Hard surfaces absorb heat in the day and release it at night, making it hot and difficult to sleep.” This is part of the ‘heat island effect’, which can also be responsible for poorer air quality and localised weather conditions, such as thunderstorms. Plus, higher temperatures mean that air conditioning units are more likely to be installed, which use extra energy and fossil fuels.

Then there is the removal of grass verges and the felling of street trees to accommodate dropped kerbs. Without the trees and plants, dust is no longer absorbed and there is nowhere for birds to nest and insects to feed.

Attractive front gardens have benefits for people too. They provide screening and privacy, creating a green oasis for enjoyment. Tending your garden at the front of the house gives neighbours the opportunity to meet and can help to build community spirit.

If you do decide that you need to park outside your house, there are still plenty of ways to keep the front garden green and reduce the impact paving has on the environment (see Park and garden, page 6). As the RHS’s Rebecca says, “We all need to change our mind-set to want more than just paving at the front of our house. Front gardens bring so much colour into our lives – who prefers to look at concrete?”

If you need to park outside your house, the most logical solution is to pave over the garden. This is certainly a practical option, but with a bit of imagination you can combine paving with an attractive and welcoming garden. And by using materials that allow rainwater to penetrate the ground below, the hard surfaces you do install will shed less water that could otherwise contribute to flooding.

Gravel is by far the cheapest permeable hard-landscaping option."

Hooray for the RHS we say at Gardenclever.com!

To view our wide range of Decorative Aggregates suitable for a driveway click HERE. Please note that we also sell permeable Advantex Geotextile.

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