Royal support for drains that "work with nature"
WWT’s President HRH Prince Charles has been telling BBC1 viewers about the benefits of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS).
SuDS include features like green roofs, ponds and soakaways that capture heavy rainfall onto urban areas and release it slowly, which helps to avoid flooding in towns and cities. WWT is working with schools in London, Birmingham and Newcastle to install SuDS features that also provide pleasant wildlife hotspots in urban areas.
Prince Charles was being interviewed by BBC1 as part of their coverage of this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. He chose the opportunity to bring SuDS to a wider audience, saying:
“There is so much we can do to work with nature, particularly in things like sustainable urban drainage which otherwise means that if you don’t use nature and work with her - particularly with how we deal with flooding in settlements and new developments - that’s where you get the whole thing going wrong.”
According to new research by the RHS, three times as many gardens are now paved over compared to ten years ago, which exacerbates flooding and hampers wildlife.
Elsewhere at the Chelsea Flower Show, WWT Consulting were looking very pleased after a garden they advised on won a gold medal. They provided advice on how SuDS can turn urban landscapes into wildlife-rich community features to the medal winners, the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies (SW), as part of a design for a garden to celebrate recycling and regeneration.
If you’re heading to the Chelsea Flower, why not stop by the WWT stand in the trade area and say hello?
