Green Infrastructure & Biodiversity, Functional Landscapes Seminar, Sue Illman
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Presentation on Green Infrastructure and biodiversity by Sue Illman from Illman Young for the RTPI West Midlands Functional Landscapes Seminar on 13th November 2014
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Green Infrastructure & Biodiversity, Functional Landscapes Seminar, Sue Illman
- 1. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Water, water everywhere …and water sensitive design Green infrastructure and biodiversity…. ….an inherent part of SuDS Understanding why soft SuDS are important and ensuring that you get them November 2014
- 2. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Illman Young Landscape Design Ltd A landscape and environmental practice specialising in: • Masterplanning and site design • Landscape appraisals and environmental assessments • Project planning through to site inspection Our ambition: To create innovative, practical and sustainable landscapes Our practice
- 3. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ SuDS Research • Illman Young in partnership with the University of Gloucestershire • Completed 2 year research project • Research into the design of SuDS that are functional, attractive and ecologically sound • Investigation of existing schemes within the UK and abroad • Development of Good Practice Guidelines and SuDS Training • SuDS Pilot projects • Ongoing relationship with university
- 4. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Concept • System of surface water management • Deals with water at source • Infiltrate or attenuate • Use soft features where possible • Promote water quality • Promote amenity and biodiversity Components • Green roofs • Swales & infiltration trenches • Rain gardens • Stormwater planters • Permeable paving • Ponds and lakes •Detention and retention basins • Wetlands Concept and components What are SuDS?
- 5. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ • Increased development creates extensive hard surfaces • Sealing of ground prevents rain water from percolating into the soil • Up to 80% of total rainfall turns into runoff within developed sites • Larger amounts of water travel faster over hard surfaces • Localised flooding • Runoff traditionally collected in pipes • Directed as quickly as possible into the nearest watercourse • Problems of flooding and pollution Traditional drainage What is the problem?
- 6. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ The problem ‘Urban creep’ Original Impermeable Surfaces - 1984
- 7. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ The problem Increase in impermeable surfaces Current Impermeable Surfaces - 2009
- 8. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ The problem Increase in impermeable surfaces Potential Impermeable Surfaces by 2034??
- 9. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Water Framework Directive Water Bill Flood and Water Management Act Legislative & environmental framework Current context Natural Environment White Paper Biodiversity 2020 UKNEA The current context
- 10. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ The answer Integrated water management • Catchment management at all scales • Agricultural practices • Flood alleviation • Flood protection • Town planning • WSUD • SuDS • Retrofitting • Building resilience • … and nor forgetting better management of water resources But including – water resources
- 11. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ • As the future becomes more uncertain, manage water-based risks more effectively • Reduce the need for potable water • Clean and recycle grey water on site • Potential to manage black water • Reduce risk from flooding • Provides longer term cost certainty ‘Water Sensitive Urban Design is the process of integrating water cycle management with the built environment Water sensitive urban design in the UK through planning and urban design’ CIRIA … but may be seen as a step too far ..… for now! WSUD The bigger picture
- 12. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ • Not a huge step beyond where we are • Connects buildings with their environment • Connects team thinking • Currently familiar with building water reduction measures • Increasingly familiar with SuDS WSUD Water sensitive urban design in the UK CIRIA The future direction
- 13. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ • Protect watercourses from pollution • Improve biodiversity and reinforce green infrastructure networks • Recharge groundwater and maintain flow regime • Health and socio-economic benefits • Can respect & enhance landscape character • Protect development from flooding • Can be cheaper to construct • Create attractive landscape features & make efficient use of amenity space • Can become economic assets by making adjacent houses easier to sell/ achieve higher prices • Allow development where full capacity SuDS Understand the benefits
- 14. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ • Surface run-off increasingly causes flooding • 5.5m homes or more are currently at risk • £1.1 billion of insured damage each year • June 2007 floods – £3.2 billion cost 2/3 properties flooded by drainage systems • Traditional systems have limited capacity • Sewer surcharging and pollution incidents • Promote SuDS as an alternative • Responsibility to sit with the LLFA • Surface Water Management Plans • Resolve adoption issues Flood and Water Management Act 2010 SuDS Legislation
- 15. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Flood and Water Management Act 2010 SuDS • National standards for SuDS • Approval system for new development by the SAB • County or unitary authorities to adopt and maintain • No automatic right to sewer connection • Compliance based adoption procedures • Planning permission can’t be implemented without approval • Register for SuDS • Bond/penalties SuDS Legislation
- 16. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ (They were) Setting up their SAB • Unitary authorities had no option but to expand their Drainage Department to deal with SuDS • Most County Authorities are taking the same approach, and were recruiting new staff to fulfil this function • Some were delegating the function of the SAB to the District Authorities who were similarly employing new staff Detailed application guidance • Some counties have/are producing their own detailed guidance • Reliance on the practical application of C697 Potential problems • Slow start to the system and steep learning curve, and some authorities very unprepared • Lack of consistency in approach around the country • Uncertainty over what is likely to be acceptable How are/were local authorities responding?
- 17. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Flood and Water Management Act 2010 Current status of legislation • National Standards were published December 2011 for a 3 month consultation period prior to their finalisation…then continually postponed • The secondary legislation has almost all been put in place except Schedule 3 • Ministerial order was planned for April 2014 …… • Then was expected October, but postponed…. • New consultation, putting responsibility through DCLG and LPAs ended 24 October…. • Who knows………? Outcome December? SuDS Legislation
- 18. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Format follows NPPF and takes an overarching approach Principles: • Sets standards that must be taken into account • Sets criteria for judging functionality of SuDS • Identifies exempt development on the basis of ‘disproportionate cost’ Standards: • For design, construction and maintenance National standards for SuDS What’s left?
- 19. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ What’s not resolved In principle • Underlying principle of reducing flood risk not addressed • System becomes guidance not mandatory • Still doesn’t address anything other than quantity In detail • How it works in the planning system • Where ‘advice’ comes from • How that’s funded • Thresholds for SuDS • ‘get out clause’ What was missing • automatic right of connection to a sewer remains • adoption not resolved The problems with the DCLG/Defra consultation
- 20. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ What’s needed Local Plans - effective policy base - inter-relate flood risk, SuDS, GI and landscape character - appropriate supplementary planning documents Development control - multi-disciplinary approach and within SAB - joint training and understanding - set requirements for outline and reserve matters/detailed planning Effective conditions - develop clear and deliverable model conditions - require delivery for phased development &soft establishment How Planning can deliver
- 21. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Amenity/ Biodiversity Quantity Amenity/ Biodiversity Quality Quantity Conventional drainage systems Sustainable drainage systems SuDS Triangle Quality Replicating natural flows Wildlife habitat Reducing downstream flooding Reducing riverbank erosion Reducing sewer overflows Improving water quality Reducing misconnections Watercourse protection Groundwater recharge Local flood management Health and wellbeing Biodiversity Visual appearance What makes them different?
- 24. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ … in the urban environment How do SuDS work?
- 25. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Drainage techniques used in series The Management Train
- 26. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Typical arrangement of SuDS components The Management Train
- 27. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ SuDS Design Requirements • Greenfield Runoff Rate • Greenfield Runoff Volume • Return Periods • Infiltration Rate • PIMP – Percentage IMPermeable area • Storage Requirements for interception, attenuation and long-term storage • Designing for exceedance • Overland flood routes Quantity
- 28. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ SuDS Design Requirements • Protection of receiving watercourse • Higher concentration of pollution near beginning of storm “First Flush” • Small, frequent events cause majority of pollution • Treatment Volume (Vt) • Treatment Stages • Groundwater Protection Quality
- 29. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ SuDS Design Requirements • Design SuDS as landscape asset • Emphasize the use of vegetation • Appropriate maintenance programme • Informing and educating the public • Retain and enhance natural drainage systems • Provide new habitats - damp areas and wetlands are ecologically diverse • Create wildlife corridors • Link into existing wildlife networks Amenity/Biodiversity
- 30. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ • Siting of buildings • Good Housekeeping • Green Roofs • Rainwater harvesting • Filter strips • Disconnecting downpipes prevention and source control SuDS Components
- 31. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ source control Photo: w • Rain gardens • Bio-retention areas • Infiltration trenches • Soakaways • Stormwater planters • Permeable paving SuDS Components
- 32. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ conveyance • Swales • Filter drains • Hard channels SuDS Components
- 33. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ conveyance • Rills • Formal channels • Naturalistic constructed streams SuDS Components
- 34. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ site controls • small detention/infiltration basins • small wetlands, urban wetland or ponds • geocellular devices • modular storage systems SuDS Components
- 35. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ SuDS Components larger scale/regional controls • wetlands • urban wetlands • large scale detention basins • lakes
- 36. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ LACK OF KNOWLEDGE • of the influence of the background geography of catchments • of the best designed examples • of the water quality impacts • of the benefits of a fully sustainable approach to water management • of unfamiliar methods of construction • of the need for phasing works • about retrofitting SuDS FEAR • of health and safety issues • of potential costs • of adoption issues • of maintenance costs • of long-term management • of land take What are the perceived challenges?
- 37. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ • Integrate SuDS at early stage • Involve and educate all stakeholders • Agree on adoption and maintenance • Agree on design criteria and SuDS vision • Allow SuDS to inform masterplan • Allow sufficient space for SuDS • Consider location of buildings • Retain natural drainage routes • Reduce hard surfaces • Create an interlinked hierarchy of SuDS • Utilise comprehensive pallette of techniques masterplanning How can we use SuDS effectively?
- 40. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Natural flow of water Cribbs Causeway, Bristol
- 41. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Run-off from hard surfaces Cribbs Causeway, Bristol
- 46. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Detailed studies Detention basin with permanent pond Site control feature swales along road/source control open channels open canal Conveyance to regional control feature Cribbs Causeway, Bristol
- 47. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Typical submission and quality of information Information in a Flood Risk Assessment • Pond 1A – a wet pond, in the south west of the site, approx capacity of 9125m3. To receive all runoff. • Pond 1B – a dry attenuation area to the east of Newland road, approximately capacity of 1740m3. Sized to receive runoff for events with a return period exceeding the 1 in 30 year. • Area 1C buried attenuation – to be located below the village green, approximate capacity 2430m3. Sized to receive runoff for events with a return period up to the 1 in 30 year. • Area 1D dry attenuation area – to be located on the village green, approximate capacity of 960m3. Sized to receive runoff for events with a return period exceeding the 1 in 30 year. • Swales – theses have been assessed but they would need to be considered at the detailed design stage.
- 48. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Typical submission and quality of information FRA – SuDS Strategy
- 49. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Typical submission and quality of information FRA – SuDS Strategy
- 58. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ How do we get to good SuDS design? • Be supported by planning • Integration of SuDS at early stage • Use an interdisciplinary approach to achieve a common vision • Involve stakeholders • Understand the hydrology of the site • Understand the ecology/flora • Work with existing features and habitats and be inspired by the local vernacular • Create an identity • Ensure long-term maintenance • Be brave and try something new
- 59. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ • Use water as a resource • Allow water back into the city • Create visible routes for water • Deal with flooding locally • Ensure clean water environment • Provide habitat and enhance biodiversity • Use SuDS as a design element • Create beautiful landscape features • Deliver quality maintenance and long-term management Let’s celebrate water… …and deliver beautiful sustainable landscapes