West Street Rain Gardens, Ashford
West Street Rain Gardens, Ashford
Improving the landscape
The West Street gardens, like all rain gardens, work on the concept of ‘bio-retention’ – they exploit the chemical, biological and physical properties of plants, microbes and soils to control the quantity and improve the quality of water within the landscape.
Bio-retention system
The underlying clay substrate in West Street meant that natural infiltration was not an option; the system is therefore designed as a series of impermeable basins. Rainwater run-off from the adjacent road surface enters each basin via specially designed carriageway kerb cut-outs and slowly filters through the growing medium before being collected by a network of perforated pipes in the bottom. These pipes connect to the existing, conventional drainage system via a silt trap.
Minimal maintenance
The plantings were selected to require very little maintenance - a feature of the whole scheme. The rain gardens do need an inspection twice a year to check the system for blockages, damaged pipes, sediment accumulation, soil erosion and the removal of rubbish and fallen leaves, but otherwise are relatively maintenance-free.