1. paving
Paving can add interest to the
landscape of a property as well
as create sustainable drainage.
Kevin Stanley speaks to
the paving companies offering
attractive, functional products
and systems
K
erb-appeal plays a large part in selling houses.
Paving can help to create and define the
character of a development and it is the first
thing housebuyers see when considering a purchase.
Fortunately, there is a wealth of choice of colour, size,
shape, material, texture and finish, giving designers
total freedom in what they create and offering
homebuyers a stylish property and individuality.
Inordertopromoteandmaximisekerb-appeal,
Interpave’smanufacturermembershavemovedaway
Paving
fromsimple,regularpatternsandcolourstocreatean
extensivepaletteofstyles,shapes,coloursandtextures
tomeetcurrentdemandsinurbandesign,matching
–andoftenexceeding–thevisualqualitiesofmore
expensivematerials.“Atthesametimethey’revisually
attractiveandabletodeliverdistinctivelocalcharacter
tomeetplanningrequirementswiththecapability
forvisualortactiledifferentiationbetweenparticular
areas,”saysChrisHodson,consultanttoInterpave.
“They’reaccessibletoallwithconsistentslipandskid
resistance.Inparticular,concreteblockpermeable
paving–akeySuDS(sustainabledrainage)feature–
Continued on page 62
Tobermore’s Hydropave permeable paving
products allow“the creation of spectacular hard
landscaping features with environmentally
friendly products”
theway

2. 62 housebuilder june 2016
paving
Permeable paving creates attractive paving
combined with a proven and highly effective
SuDS system, says Marshalls. Pictured: a Redrow
scheme with Marshalls’Priora system
Continued from page 61
isinherentlywelldrainedtoavoidstandingwater.”
Developerslookingforthelatestinnovationinpaving
howevershouldconsiderThermaPavefromFormpave,
aningeniousnewsystemcapableofharvestingsurface
rainwater,whichcanthenbeusedastheenergy
sourceforagroundsourceheatpump.Thisprovides
energyefficientheatingandcoolingforbuildings.
“ThermaPaveturnspavedareassuchascarparksinto
energyandrevenuegenerators.ThermPavereducesthe
mainbarriertogroundsourceheatpumpsbygreatly
simplifyinginstallationandassociatedcosts,making
itamuchmoreaffordablesustainableenergysolution
formanycompanies,”explainsMarcAsker,renewables
manageratFormpave.Ontopoftheheatingandwater
billsavingsandflooddefencebenefitsthatThermaPave
brings,thegovernmentprovidesattractivefinancial
Continued on page 65
Form and function
As with all building products an important
question will be – which is most important –
form or function?The simple answer of course
is both – paving must be capable of performing
its purpose whilst the aesthetics of paving can
make an impact on the value of a property.
“Hard landscaping materials should equally
prioritise both form and function, says Andrew
Gill, marketing manager at Brett Landscaping.
“The paving products we design, manufacture
and supply, enable architects to devise hard
landscaping layouts that are visually dazzling
and contribute greatly to the aesthetic design of
our country’s urban landscape. However, product
form must be supported by an exceptional
standard of function, which is why our
material engineering process ensures product
permanence, suitability, human safety and
environmental compatibility.”
The hottest topic in paving continues to be
sustainable drainage systems.Without doubt, the
impact of SuDS is on hard landscape and paving,
now that they are a planning requirement for
many developments. Interpave is developing
concrete block permeable paving as a SuDS
technique in the UK. In particular, innovative
approaches are being taken with concrete block
permeable paving as an integrated, multi-
functional SuDS technique.“These include
use of discrete sub-catchments of permeable
paving, including on slopes, with flow controls
for demonstrable water storage to meet local
authority requirements,”says Chris Hodson.“This
approach minimises excavation, cuts construction
costs and can eliminate the need for land-take and
water storage elsewhere on the site. Permeable
paving is also being used as a thin drainage layer
over existing road constructions to feed adjacent
rain-gardens, again reducing costs.”

3. housebuilder june 2016 65
paving
Continued from page 62
inducementsthroughtheRenewableHeatIncentive(RHI)
fromtheDepartmentofEnergyClimateChange(DECC).
Thispaysusersofgroundsourcesystemsafinancial
incentivetoincreasetheuptakeofrenewableheat,which
canamountto£350,000over20yearsforevenarelatively
smallcommercialsystem.Groundsourceheatpumpsoffer
thehighestreturnoninvestmentthroughtheRHI(which
isguaranteedfor20yearsandindex-linkedtoinflation),
andprovideenergyefficientheating,meaningan
incomeboostforcompanieswhichoptforsuchsystems.
“Businesseswantingtoreducetheircarbonemissions,
slashtheirheatingbillsandreducetheriskoffloodingcan
tickallthreeboxesbyinstallinganAquaflowThermaPave
system,”saysAsker.
In seeking future solutions to avoid the scale of
devastation caused by the winter 2015 floods, the
industry spotlight has been highlighting the need for
paving manufacturers to create innovative paving
solutions that can best address the issue of surface
water management.“By installing permeable,
as opposed to non-porous paving, rainfall has
‘somewhere to go’as it passes through the pavement
structure rather than remaining on the surface, which
can be the cause of immeasurable damage in flash
flooding conditions,”explains Andrew Gill, marketing
manager at Brett Landscaping. Brett Landscaping
has long been a forerunner in the development
of permeable paving and believes it is a vital area
of development and where the future of paving
innovation will lie.”
SuDSoftenhittheheadlinesaspermeablesystems
canprovideacosteffectiveandaestheticallypleasing
solution.“Thereisalsoamovefromsomeareasofnew
buildconstructiontowardsmoreinterestingproduct
stylesandlayingpatterns,movingawayfromthemore
Continued on page 67
Formpave’sThermapave harvests surface rainwater which can be used as the energy source for a
ground source heat pump

4. housebuilder june 2016 67
paving
permeableistheidealwaytopreventsurfacewater
runoff–butwherehardstandingisrequired,permeable
pavingprovidesthebestpossiblecompromise.”
Clearlytheneedtousepermeablepavingforimproved
surfacewatermanagementremainsverytopical.We
nowhavetherequiredtechnologytoavoidmuchofthe
Continued from page 65
traditionalrectangularpavinglaidinaherringbone
pattern,”saysChrisWisson,nationalhousebuilder
accountmanageratTobermore.“Additionally,heavy
dutypavingissomethingthatisincreasinglysought
afterforroadwaysandtraffickedareas.Thatiswhy
TobermoreintroducedtheinnovativeCityPaveVS5
range.CityPaveVS5isdesignedwithshiftprotection
onfivesidesofeachblock,includingaspecialprofile
onthebottomsurfacethatproducesaclawingeffectin
thepavementbed.Thisensurescontinuousprotection
againstpavementshifting.”
dual-purpose
Permeablepavingisadual-purposeSuDSsolution.
“Itprovidesattractivepavinginconjunctionwitha
provenandhighlyeffectiveSuDSsystem.It’sreally
simpletechnologythatrequiresnospecialmaterialsor
techniquestoinstall,andrequiresminimalmaintenance
tokeepitfunctioningintopcondition,”saysChris
Griffiths,watermanagementexpertatMarshalls.
“Obviously,keepinggreenlandopenandnaturally
floodingthatwehaveexperiencedintheUKoverthe
pasttenyears.Sowhatispreventingdevelopersfrom
usingthiseffectivesolution?Unfortunatelythereisa
misconceptionwithinthemarketthatpermeablepaving
requiresaburdensomeamountofupkeep.
Changes will come but the situation may become
worse before it improves. Extreme weather events
which lead to flooding will continue to occur until the
implementation of preventative measures, such as
the use of permeable paving, is not recommended but
enforced. In the meantime manufacturers will need to
continue promoting the importance of SuDS. hb
KEY CONTACTS
Brett
Landscaping www.brettpaving.co.uk
Formpave www.forterra.co.uk/formpave
Interpave www.paving.org.uk
Marshalls www.marshalls.co.uk/commercial
Tobermore www.tobermore.co.uk
“Heavydutypavingissomethingthatis
increasinglysoughtafterforroadwaysand
traffickedareas”.ChrisWisson,nationalhousebuilder
accountmanager,Tobermore