Project Description
The Waverley project in Rotherham is Yorkshire’s largest ever brownfield mixed-use plan, transforming 740 acres of the former Orgreave coal mining site into a sustainable development that includes up to 3,890 homes, shops, restaurants, a school and leisure and community facilities, including parks and 310-acres of green open space.
The Challenge
Large housing developments must make provision for Sustainable Drainage techniques to control the volumes of surface water run-off from the catchment area. Attenuation ponds are a common feature on residential developments and the design forms part of the overall SuDS plan across this area of the site to reduce downstream flooding.
The Solution
Surface water run-off from a sloping area of the housing development is detained in a large attenuation pond prior to controlled release into local lakes and streams. A reinforced grass perimeter route employing ABG Sudspave 40 permeable cellular paving has been installed for service and emergency vehicles to access the pond. The rootzone filled grass-seeded paving units have been colonised by clover and wildflower species, in keeping with the embankments of the pond. The Sudspave also provides a green corridor pedestrian/cycle route around the site and away from the busy local roads and provides attractive amenity space for the new housing estate’s residents.
The ABG Service
The design proposed by ABG includes Abgrid Geogrid and Terrex NW geotextile which combine to reduce the required DoT Type 3 sub-base thickness, whilst also providing layer separation and bio-filtration of surface water. The pond also utilises ABG’s Claymat clay liner, installed to retain water within the basin.