Car parking at schools, universities and hospitals is always limited and increasingly strict Planning Regulations and Environment Agency controls require these educational and public sector premises to provide innovative, engineered reinforced surface solutions which are also SuDS compliant and environmentally sympathetic.
Conventional hard-paved car parking surfaces are costly and have become less desirable or acceptable due to the volume of surface water run-off. Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) which attenuate surface water run-off must be considered alongside options such as reinforced gravel and grass surfaces to further limit visual and environmental impact.
A robust cellular permeable paving system is often specified for car parking bays and running access lanes. Interlocking porous plastic pavers provide a surface stabilisation solution that is free-draining and can be designed in conjunction with a SuDS system to manage rainwater run-off. Cellular plastic porous pavers can be filled with selected porous gravel that is retained within the grid’s cells, or can be grassed to blend in with the natural environment to accommodate the increased desire for green surfacing wherever practical.
A grass car park is also a more aesthetic solution for overflow and temporary parking areas, providing the same sustainable drainage system benefits as a gravel surface.
