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Matchborough First School

Location

Redditch, Worcestershire, England


Fig 1: Location of Matchborough (click to enlarge image)

Description

The site is a school development that was originally designed with conventional drainage that flowed to a pumping station from where it was pumped against the site gradient to a sewer. During construction it became apparent that one playground area could not be drained by gravity to the pumping station.

Main SuDS used

	Swales Detention basins Constructed wetland
Fig !: A swale: Courtesy( Robert Bray Associates)

Swales
Detention basins
Constructed wetland

Fig !: A swale: Courtesy( Robert Bray Associates)

How it works

The use of SuDS was proposed to overcome the gradient and remove the need for the pumping station and associated ongoing maintenance costs. The SuDS scheme follows the contours of the site and drains downhill to the Ipsley Stream (removing the annual charge for the sewer connection).

Fig 2 & 3: Initial proposal and sustainable drainage outline proposal plans. (Courtesy of Robert Bray Associates).


Initial proposal	Sustainable drainage outline proposal

Click on plans for detailed view

Specific details

Swales collect overland flows from an adjacent site and the runoff from the car park and playground, providing source control. The main driveway is drained to an extended detention basin. These systems connect to a constructed wetland, which also takes runoff directly from the roof and provides amenity as well as well as useful educational resource.


Fig 4 & 5: Car park inlet: (Courtesy Robert Bray Associates)

The system was designed to cope with a 1 in 100 year return period storm event, and overland flow routes were provided for events exceeding this. The SuDS system has also been designed to provide a valuable amenity and teaching resource for the school.

Benefits and barriers

Benefit: Maintenance costs. The maintenance of the newly constructed system is planned to be a marginal extension to the landscape contract required for the school grounds, with regular inspections undertaken by the school caretaker. Hence maintenance costs for SuDS are expected to be marginal compared with the conventional drainage costs of sewer connection (around £3200 p.a.) and pumping station maintenance (around £800 p.a.)

Benefit: Amenity and educational resource. The wetland provides added amenity to the school and also provides an educational resource. Risk is managed by appropriate design and education of school children.

Barrier: Adoption. The highways authority was initially unwilling to adopt SuDS for road drainage.

Lessons learnt

	Incorporating and allowing SuDS early in the development design will reduce costs SuDS can effectively control overland flows and land drainage flows from adjacent sites SuDS are cost-effective compared to conventional drains Well-considered design provides valuable amenity and habitat for marginal cost Water safety issues need not prevent the use of SuDS Retrofitting SuDS to existing sites is feasible.
Fig 6 Dipping platform on a wetland: (Courtesy Robert Bray Associates)

Incorporating and allowing SuDS early in the development design will reduce costs
SuDS can effectively control overland flows and land drainage flows from adjacent sites
SuDS are cost-effective compared to conventional drains
Well-considered design provides valuable amenity and habitat for marginal cost
Water safety issues need not prevent the use of SuDS
Retrofitting SuDS to existing sites is feasible.

Fig 6 Dipping platform on a wetland: (Courtesy Robert Bray Associates)

The information on Matchborough First School was provided by the designer: Robert Bray Associates

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