Lamb Drove SUDS Sustainability

Question 1

Describe SUDS

Answer 1

• Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) represent the ultimate in realistic, yet environmentally friendly, replication of natural drainage systems within any built environment
• SUDS hold back and slow down surface runoff from any development and allow natural processes to break down pollutants
• Lamb Drove is an award winning 1-hectare Cambridge Housing Society Development of 35 ‘affordable homes’
• Cambridgeshire is a relatively low-lying county, where flooding in river valleys and urban watercourses is a major concern

Question 2

Aim of Lamb Drove SUDS Scheme

Answer 2

• Showcase SUDS within residential environments

* Demonstrate how they work and how they’re more effective than traditional systems

Question 3

Stakeholders of Lamb Drove Project

Answer 3

• European funded programme with 40 featured projects

Question 4

What SUDS Techniques were used?

Answer 4

• Water butts = to collect roof water for garden irrigation
• Permeable paving = allows water to enter porous storage zones and to filter out pollutants
• Green sedum roofs = to reduce and treat runoff
• Swales = to collect excess water from the site, further slowing the flow and continuing the water treatment process
• Creation of detention basins and wetland = in open spaces to slow down runoff rate and store water on a temporary short-term basis during extreme flood events
• A retention pond = final storage of water before being released to a drainage ditch beyond the development site

Question 5

Positive Economic Sustainability in Lambs Drove

Answer 5

• Cost-effective – both construction and maintenance costs have been 10% less than conventional pipe drainage systems
• The estimated cost savings due to SuDS is approximately £11k (around 10%). In addition, each house will have two water butts to collect rainfall from the roof, which can be used for watering gardens and other applications for which rainwater is suitable. Omission of the new storm sewer connection should give some financial benefits (approximately £30/year/household) to the residents as it avoids the annual payment of storm water disposal changes to the sewerage undertaker.

Question 6

Negative Economic Sustainability in Lambs Drove

Answer 6

• Developers want green-field sites to build as much as possible for maximum profit
• The driving force behind the project is the growing pressure for new housing in the UK. Cambridgeshire in particular is a key growth area under the government’s housing strategy, with up to 50,000 new houses planned to be built by 2016

Question 7

Positive Social Sustainability in Lamb Drove

Answer 7

• Better quality of life – area looks nicer, recreational benefits
- The sculptured swales and detention basins have resulted in a visually enhanced and attractive landscape. This provides increased amenity and social value to residents and the local community.

Question 8

Negative Social Sustainability in Lamb Drove

Answer 8

Not a large scheme so not everyone affected

Question 9

Positive Environmental Sustainability in Lamb Drove

Answer 9

• The green open space can attract new wildlife to the area and it makes the area less polluted
• The use of SuDS has resulted in an improved quality of water leaving the site compared with traditional piped drainage systems.