Page 28 - December 2015 Issue 300

28 THE NEW COUNTESTHORPE HERALD
DESERT FRONT
GARDENS
I was on the top of the 85 bus, going down Station Road, idly looking down on the front gardens. I noticed something. They mostly weren’t gardens. They were paved, gravelled, tarmacked. The main street looked ugly and utilitarian. I investigated, later, and learnt that it’s similar all over the UK. In 2005, when there were detailed studies, 12 square miles of London’s front gardens were paved. Those over three quarters paved ranged from 14 to 47% in different parts of the country, with the East Midlands having 25%. Well over a third of the hard-standing was not used for parking. The rest was thought to be due to minimal maintenance, fashion, contractors promoting hard surfacing, and lack of gardening tradition in parts of the community.
I walked along the south side of Station Road from St Andrews to the Chestnut Close development, past sixty odd houses, noting the surfacing. Only eleven plots were more than half planted, what you might call traditional gardens. Apart from appearance, though, what does it matter? I investigated further.
Firstly, solid surfaces. Paving, tarmac and concrete aren’t porous and can increase the amount of rainwater that runs off by as much as 50%, contributing to flooding. That’s why you now need planning permission for a new solid-surfaced drive if it’s over 5 square metres. Run-off carries oils, heavy metals, herbicides and pesticides into the water course. These would otherwise be slowly processed by soil. And covered soil, especially if it’s clay, dries and cracks, leading to subsidence.
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DECEMBER 2015
Porous surfacing is better then? Yes, with regards to flooding, but... Stone, gravel and slate chips are natural resources needing energy to extract, often causing environmental damage in the process. Removing beach pebbles reduces sea defences, encouraging erosion and coastal flooding – we have several frontages covered with beach pebbles. Transporting heavy materials long distance uses fossil fuels, contributing to global warming; some stone is imported from as far away as India or China.
Then there are the effects of not having plants. Fewer plants means less carbon dioxide absorption, again contributing to global warming. Vegetation also directly helps regulate temperature – shade is provided, water is drawn into the roots and evaporated from leaves, cooling the air. In contrast, hard surfaces absorb heat by day, releasing it at night, making it difficult to sleep. This is part of the ‘heat island effect’ of built up areas. Plant-free, covered ground reduces biodiversity; it is a barren desert without the food and shelter wildlife needs to survive. Year-round food sources are needed, different plants in flower throughout the seasons, a variety of habitats. Think of bees. Or birds; the decline in sparrows has been linked to paving front gardens. I found myself, as I looked, welcoming neglected weedy gravel - at least some wildlife might be
supported in the mess. I saw just one bird on my walk, a song thrush on a little, lush patch of sunken lawn.
Front gardens provide opportunities for exercise, to chat with the neighbours and passers-by. Important effects on health and well-being are reported, including road safety. A community with gardens, access to green spaces, is both mentally and physically healthier, with less depression, heart disease and obesity. Though I couldn’t help thinking that there are other factors, like income, confounding the statistics.
Which brings us to finance. A garden needs a gardener and if you can’t do it yourself – and time’s money anyway – you may not be able to pay someone else to do it. And big money, too. Estate agents may recommend putting in hard standing before a house goes on the market, since off-street parking can increase the sale value of an individual house. But this is a short-lived gain. Pleasant, leafy streets carry premium prices. When most of a street has lost its gardens, prices drop. One report listed 43 reasons for not paving a front garden. If you think you won’t lose the will to live, try reading: www.ealingfrontgardens.org.uk/page6. htm. Might we want to do something about the problem? Such as? Every little helps: put a potted plant on the concrete, would be a start. If you have ideas of your own, why not send them in?
Anne Stotter