Going off-road

Find the perfect balance between practicality and sustainability, with our expert advice on creating a dream driveway

- HOLLY REANEY

According to the RHS, over a quarter of front gardens are paved over.* While this creates plentiful parking space, this paving takeover has had catastrophic effects on wildlife and the water table. ‘Paving, tarmac and concrete increase the amount of rainwater that runs off by as much as 50 per cent,’ says Dr Nicholas Cryer, environmental horticulture expert at the RHS. However, this does not need to be the case.

SOAKING IT UP

Traditional front gardens absorb significant amounts of rain water. ‘Well-watered grass at the peak of summer can use 4 mm of water per day, which equates to four litres per square metre. A mature apple tree may use 20-40 litres per day,’ says Nicholas. A standard tarmac driveway absorbs nothing. Not only does this increase the risk of flooding, it affects the wider environment. ‘Hard surfaces such as concrete and asphalt collect pollution (oil, petrol and brake dust) that is washed off into the drains. Many drains carry rainwater directly to streams or rivers where the pollution damages wildlife,’ add the resin driveway experts at Erinstone.

In an ideal world, beautiful gardens would return to the front of homes; however, with 'Grow-through' paving provides hard standing for parking while letting grass grow in the spaces, meaning it's the only option that encourages biodiversity an ever-growing reliance on cars and an increased need for parking close to the house in order to charge electric vehicles, that's not realistic. Instead, it is important for homeowners to strike the right balance.