Anglian & the environment
We are all growing more and more conscious of our impact on the environment.
At Anglian, the environment is at the heart of our business.
The effects of climate change and increasing urbanisation could well mean that heavy rainfall events and subsequent flooding could occur more often in the future. Over 60% of flooding is being attributed to surface water overwhelming the drainage system. At the same time, wildlife needs us to maintain green areas where insects and other parts of the food chain can flourish. It is, therefore, vital that we have a sustainable
approach to all surface drainage and one that works with the existing drainage systems. Sustainable Drainage Systems, or SUDS, as used by Anglian, offers the solution.
SUDS manages surface water by reducing the rate of water run-off and filtering it. This means that surface water, even in times of extremely heavy rain, is able to drain gradually into the surrounding soil over a wide area, rather than run off rapidly. This mimics the natural drainage of the area, minimising water run-off quantity, improving water quality and allowing the soil to absorb water naturally.
The Government introduced new legislation in October 2008 extending the need for planning permission and introducing other requirements when installing a driveway. At Anglian, we are able to take care of all the requirements to ensure that you have a legal and environmentally friendly solution. We will handle all the necessary permissions and assess the best solution for your circumstances to disperse water.
With Anglian, a new driveway shouldn’t be a daunting prospect. We provide the know-how, advice, drawings, materials, structure and workmanship and take all the hassle away. We appreciate that the main decisions are ultimately yours; where it goes, the choice of block colour and the extras - all down to you. We want you to be absolutely delighted with your new driveway - and we are determined that you will be.
The cost of getting it wrong!
If you have a driveway that is built without the relevant planning and other permissions, or your driveway is not built to current regulatory standards, you could be forced to rip it up, be open to prosecution and, in some areas, could end up having council bollards erected in front of
your drive – whether your car is parked there or not. Similarly, if your driveway is not properly constructed and it causes neighbouring property to be flooded or otherwise damaged, you could be open to civil legal action. Image shown is not an Anglian installation. →
“With more planning permissions than any other UK company you’ll be in safe hands.”
The block paving solution
To comply with the new legislation, a block paving driveway must be designed to prevent surface water run-off. A soakaway is the most common method of achieving this. A soakaway stores the rainwater and releases it at a controlled rate into the surrounding soil. An Anglian site survey will establish the suitability, shape, size and construction of the soakaway, taking into account how free-draining your soil is, the height of your water table and the possible location of the soakaway.
Soakaways are filled with granular material e.g. broken brick, crushed rock or gravel with a particle size of 10mm to 150mm.
A PVC sheet or concrete blinding is laid over the fill to prevent top soil being washed down into the soakaway.