Summer flood report welcomed by concrete industry

The Concrete Centre believes that realisation of the flood resilient properties of concrete will help the UK to lessen the impact of future flooding.

The Concrete Centre has welcomed the findings of the interim report of Sir Michael Pitt into the impact of the summer flooding during 2007 and believes that realisation of the flood resilient properties of concrete will help the UK to lessen the impact of future flooding resulting from extreme rainfall events and rising sea levels which are predicted to become more severe due to climate change.

Following the extensive summer floods, Sir Michael Pitt, chairman of the South West Strategic Health Authority, was asked by the Government to identify the lessons to be learned and to make a series of recommendations that would help the country adapt and deal more effectively with flooding.

The report, drawing attention to examples of good and bad design of new development, recommends that that buildings that are not flood resilient should not be constructed in flood risk areas.

"For construction in flood risk areas, such as the Thames Gateway, the choice of building materials and finishes should maximise flood resilience by minimising damage and the time taken to refurbish", said Joanne Turner, sustainability manager, of The Concrete Centre.

"Concrete walls and floors will not warp or rot during a flood so the damage caused by flooding will not threaten the structural integrity of the building".

Turner reported that the concrete industry is working closely with the government in developing concrete floor resilient solutions.

She said: "The concrete sector is developing concrete flood resilient solutions".

"These include the provision of concrete infills under existing floors, the use of a fast drying concrete screed for floors, hydraulic domestic flood defence walls and even concrete kitchen furniture".

The report also concluded that householders and business owners should no longer be able to lay impermeable surfaces.

The concrete industry has developed a number of concrete block permeable pavements (CBPP) and sustainable urban drainage (SUDS) systems that manage rain and surface water by attenuation and filtration to reduce the flooding potential of urban development by simulating natural drainage.

"CBPP and SUDS offer a real solution to the problem of managing surface water in urban areas", said Turner.

"We welcome the report's conclusion that only permeable surfaces should be laid".

"Concrete offers inherent flood resistance and resilience".

"We look forward to working with the government, planners and designers in developing construction solutions that minimise the impact of flooding".

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