Ruston Way – Case Study

Safe as houses using Omega Flow

Project: Ruston Way Developments
Client: Westleigh Developments
Product: Omega Flow
Size: 1.72 hectare site with 226 dwellings

The site at Ruston Way presented more than its fair share of problems for the developer, Westleigh Developments. Given that theformer industrial site that Westleigh inherited contained a mixture of contaminants including casting sand, heavy metals, phosphorus and various salts, the strategy for dealing with surface water run-off had to be foolproof in order to avoid pollution. So, the site is subtended by a polythene layer to prevent surface water run off from entering the sub-grade and leaching out pollutants into the water course.

However, the site also lies in the River Witham flood plain, so it was essential to ensure that the risk of flooding was minimised with a Sustainable Drainage System (SUDS) planned at the design stage.

These considerations prompted Westleigh – together with project architects, Brian Dearlove and landscape specialist, Ian Stemp – to specify permeable paving for 241 car parking spaces as well as connecting areas of road and foot way. Pollution protection is further augmented by a 100mm up-stand around the paved area that would contain any excess surface water in the case of an extreme rainfall event.

The use of Omega Flow permeable paving for the project allows surface water to pass through the surface of the pavement into the sub-base where it can be stored before being slowly released from the site. In this way, the use of a coarser, angular bedding material than that used in a conventional pavement construction serves to provide a typical 30% void space within the sub-base allowing the sub-base to act as the attenuation ‘tank’.

All of this, allied to the design by Danny Lang at Westleigh which gives an excellent water run-off rate of just 5 litres/second, ensures that the site will present ongoing environmental benefits to the area alongside minimising the risk of flooding – which is a major consideration in this low lying area of Lincoln.