News: September 2005

The trend for small urban front gardens to be turned into off-road parking spaces is worsening problems of flooding in London.

The London Assembly has calculated that roughly two-thirds of its 1.9m front gardens - an area roughly 22 times the size of Hyde Park - has been paved over. This, it suggests, has increased the local temperature, led to a dirtier environment, greatly reduced the amount of greenery in the city and encouraged more car noise and pollution. But, above all, says the assembly's environment committee, the loss of gardens has put immense extra pressure on drains as less water soaks into the ground.

John Vidal. Flood risk rises as gardens disappear. Viewed at http://www.guardian.co.uk/conservation/story/0,13369,1561979,00.html on September 5th 2005.