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Benefits of constructed pervious surfaces 

One benefit that constructed pervious surfaces have to offer is assisting in the achievement of sustainable planning policies. Such policies include:

• Environment Agency SUDS promotion policies.
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency SUDS promotion policies.
• Planning Policy Guidance Note 25 (PPG25) - assisting in the incorporation of SUDS into a new development.
• Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 (PPG3) - the use of pervious surfaces, for example in car parks, allows SUDS to be used in urban situations of high density development.

Pervious surfaces that are used in suitable locations and designed, constructed and adequately maintained following the guidance provided in this technical note should provide a cost effective and durable source control technique.

Other benefits of using correctly designed, constructed and maintained pervious surfaces include:

• Reduced peak flows to watercourses, reducing the risk of flooding downstream.
• Reduced effects of pollution in run-off on the environment.
• Can be used in confined urban situations with a range of surface finishes that admit surface waters over their area of use.
• Reduced need for deep excavations for drainage, which can have significant cost benefits.
• Drainage solution which is largely unrelated to the scale of the pervious surface, where the surface is often more than adequate to deal with the water falling on its own area.
• Flexible solution that can be tailored so that construction costs suit the proposed usage and design life.
• Costs are comparable to or lower than conventional surfacing and drainage solutions (providing all the costs are taken into account).

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