FLOOD CONTROL & SUDS 37
report in
EDIE.net, The North West Cambridge Development team claim that Eddington is home to the largest water recycling system in the country. Any collected water is pushed through a site-wide SuDS system to be used for non- potable uses such as flushing water and irrigation. The further benefit is that the water recycling system will cut water consumption onsite to 80 litres per person, almost half the average across Cambridge which is 50 litres. In both examples, the designers and
the WSBF points out, the use of SuDS on new developments still hasn’t become the norm, with the industry preferring the use of legacy materials and tried and tested below ground solutions. This is despite above ground green infrastructure solutions becoming more sophisticated, and up to 86 per cent cheaper than below ground systems. Fortunately, there are schemes in the UK where green infrastructure solutions have been designed as an integral part of the project. The proposed redevelopment of the Thamesmead in south east London will turn the borough of Thamesmead into one of the city’s most biodiverse and sustainable urban living environments. This large-scale redevelopment of one the biggest post-war
residential schemes will serve more than 100,000 people living in 35,000 homes on the banks of the Thames.
Developing new housebuilding with the intelligent use of water at the heart of the design is not just about aesthetics and the environment. It can help to generate value and demand in the homes built and provide widespread protection. The University of Cambridge has encouraged the building of a £1bn sustainable commu- nity that uses some of the innovative sustainability features. The Eddington community is built around manmade lakes designed to hold six million litres of water, while protecting the surrounding villages from the frequent flooding the residents used to endure. According to a recent
developers behind the masterplan are only using the solutions and systems that are already on the market, which demonstrates the versatility of options available to housebuilders and specifiers. Despite facing the pressure to build, alongside the need to keep homes safe from changing climate conditions, and the need for more investment in the vulnerable parts of our water infrastructure, these examples also demonstrate the opportunity which lies in front of developers. Through the adoption of ‘green infrastruc-
ture’ developers can redefine the experience of living on housing estates and the shape of suburbia for generations to come.
Sean Robinson is specification director at Polypipe
WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK
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