"Paving over gardens with impermeable surfaces has and will continue to undermine urban resilience, says Prof Alistair Griffiths, the director of science and collections at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Water can't get through concrete, asphalt and paving, which contributes to surface flooding and overwhelms the sewer system, leading to pollution runoff. Loss of vegetation also contributes to global heating. We've got these increased extremes of heat and if you lose green space, you lose that cooling effect, he adds."
"Then there's the loss of biodiversity that comes from paving over green space not to mention the impact of a dead, grey landscape on people's mental health. One RHS study showed that people who nurtured a couple of containers of flowers and a small tree in an urban street lowered their stress hormones as much as if they'd attended eight weekly mindfulness sessions."
Nearly a quarter of UK householders plan to pave or deck at least part of their garden within five years; nearly a third of those plan to cover more than half the area. The HTA estimates this could remove about 8% (409 sq km) of the UK's private green space. Impermeable surfaces block water, worsen urban flooding, overwhelm sewers, and cause pollution runoff. Loss of vegetation increases urban heat and reduces cooling. Paving reduces biodiversity and creates grey landscapes that harm mental health; nurturing small plants can lower stress hormones. Planning permission is required for impermeable surfaces larger than 5 sq metres, though enforcement is limited.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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