ADVICE & OPINION
CONTROL THE FLOW
FMJ AIMS TO SUPPORT TECHNICAL EXPERTISE IN THE FM MARKET
Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) can be an asset for your business as well as
beneƛ tting the environment, says Caroline Birdsall, UK and Ireland Director of Marketing
for The Millboard Company
Stories about the impacts of
prolonged droughts and sudden
flood events are becoming ever
more frequent in the news media.
The growing problems that a lack or
excess of water can cause have led
scientists to look at the causes and
potential solutions.
Beyond the well-known impacts of
climate change, other human impacts
on the environment are also at play,
not least the way we have concreted
over much of the land on which our
cities are based and installed systems
of pipes and sewers to channel surface
water away. While these systems
initially served us well as our societies
industrialised and urbanised, we
have reached the point where their
limitations are now being exposed.
A report issued jointly by the Mayor
of London’s o ice and Transport for
London in 2016 stated: “London’s
existing network of sewers and drains
is at or near capacity in many areas and
the issue is exacerbated by a rapidly
increasing population.” This story
reflects the experience of a growing
number of our towns and cities.
The consequence is that valuable
water is allowed to run away when it
could be stored and, in times of excess
rainfall, our towns’ and cities’ hard
surfaces leave nowhere for the water to
go when their drains are full.
16 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022
This is where sustainable drainage
systems come in. Sustainable drainage
systems – commonly abbreviated to
SuDS seek to control the flow of water
more e iciently to mitigate the e ects
of both droughts and floods. The more
entities that use SuDS, the greater their
combined e ect, so businesses have a
big part to play – and far from adding
costs, it can actually deliver savings
over the long term.
It can also improve how others
perceive an organisation. Customers
and investors are increasingly factoring
how companies interact with their
environments into their buying
decisions. Demonstrating sustainability
is an asset, and SuDS can make a big
contribution.
UTILISING SUDS
SuDS come in a variety of forms rather
than being a one-size-fits-all way of
changing the fabric of your estate.
Some elements are easier to factor
into buildings when they are at the
planning stage, but many can be
retrofitted to existing buildings and
their surroundings.
Rain capture systems, including green
roofs and walls, can be used to retain
water and route it into storage tanks,
which ideally should be situated below
ground to avoid evaporation. This
water can then be used to provide
water for washing and toilet facilities
– sometimes even drinking water
– within the building, or to irrigate
planting outside, thus reducing the
demand for mains water.
While the more complex systems
can be too expensive to retrofit in
many instances, there are many other
SuDS elements that are simple to
adopt for most businesses. It is easy
to install rain planters to capture
water from existing downpipes,
and trees can be planted into selfcontained
pits that will not only
prevent roots undermining structures
but also act as reservoirs for holding
water which might otherwise collect
on hard surfaces and contribute to
local flooding.
Those hard surfaces could also in
many instances also be swapped for
permeable ones. Sta rest areas will
oŽ en benefit aesthetically if concrete
and tarmac are replaced with decking,
and nowadays there are plenty of
alternatives to wood that don’t decay
or become slippery in wet weather.
Modern high grade composite
materials are themselves impervious
to water but allow it to drain between
boards and be absorbed by the
ground beneath. At the extreme
end of the scale, their resistance to
water even allows for construction
directly over water. For example, the
Floating Pocket Park in Paddington,
West London, was constructed using
Millboard decking to create a leisure
area that vastly improved the local
environment and amenities. It serves
to show that using similar materials to
provide usable surfaces that will permit
natural water flows without themselves
being adversely a ected is eminently
practicable.
SUDS DELIVER BENEFITS ON
SEVERAL LEVELS
» SuDS systems have few or no moving
parts and typically require little ongoing
maintenance.
» When integrated into buildings’ water
supplies they reduce reliance on mains
water so can actually save money.
» They can improve spaces visually,
o ering attractive venues in which to
hold meetings and events, and help to
enhance your workforce’s wellbeing.
» They demonstrate your business’
commitment to play a responsible
part in the local community through
measures which will help mitigate
flooding and droughts.
» Implementing SuDS both improves
your company’s sustainability and
provides a tangible demonstration of it
to its investors and customers.
Given its many advantages, we can
expect to see the SuDS philosophy
become the norm rather than the
exception within the next few years.
Already some planning schemes are
approved only if they have SuDS
measures built in, and they may
become mandatory in law before long.
It makes sense to be ahead of the curve
and gain goodwill for installing them
while they remain voluntary, as well as
enjoying the savings they can deliver
sooner rather than later.
FAST FACTS