With Schedule 3 set to shape the future of water management, Marshalls’ EDENKERB® revolutionizes rain garden installation, making it easier for developers to create sustainable, biodiverse landscapes while reducing flood risk
As the industry adjusts to the relatively recent introduction of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), we are moving ever closer to fully adopting Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act. This focuses on managing water runoff in the most natural way possible, slowing down the release of water and improving its quality, while trying to benefit the local wildlife and improve the environment for the local population. This contrasts with more traditional drainage systems, which concentrate on removing surface water as quickly as possible.
While including SuDs in new projects has previously been at the developer’s discretion, Schedule 3 will dictate more about drainage plans than before. Moving forward, critical solutions will be those that manage the amount of water entering the sewer systems, while adding natural beauty and biodiversity to the local landscape. This is where rain gardens come in and why we are seeing their use more and more.
However, as a relatively new concept, everyone involved in the inclusion of rain gardens, from designer to contractor, is required to detail, cut and install the key components from scratch. In recognition of this, landscape specialist Marshalls is now launching the industry’s first off-the-shelf rain garden kerb system, providing an effective, consistent and time-saving solution.
EDENKERB® combines a purpose-made left- and right-hand inlet with an integrated kerb gradient to promote water entry to the rain garden, as well as a complementary diffuser flag to slow incoming water flow. Produced as a single modular design, it reduces the margin for error and time constraints usually associated with cutting and installing made-to-measure rain garden kerb features – and is compliant with sustainability, SuDS and flood mitigation legislation.
Currently available in standard grey, EDENKERB also comes in two sizes and both a half battered and bull nosed profile to enable it to work seamlessly with Marshalls’ standard kerbs. This provides the design flexibility to suit multiple environments and meet the requirements of any site.
As proof of its capabilities, EDENKERB has been tested in a live scheme as part of a sustainable flood resilience plan in Mansfield, the largest project of its kind ever attempted in the UK. As part of the scheme, Mansfield District Council and Nottingham County Council have invested £76million on a range of nature-based solutions to protect communities from flooding. By the time the project completes in 2025, EDENKERB, as well as several other innovative solutions, will have played a role in storing over 58 million litres of surface water run-off, reducing the flood risk for 90,000 people in the area.
Gemma Monaghan, Civils and Drainage Category Manager for Marshalls, said: “We’re in the midst of a biodiversity crisis leading to the loss of ecosystems and ongoing environmental changes. Add to this rapid urbanisation, population increase and the impact of climate change, and our towns and cities are now at increased, ongoing risk of flooding and watercourse pollution. Rain gardens provide a flood management system that doubles up as an attractive, biodiverse feature, but until now, their integration with kerbs has proved challenging.
“EDENKERB is the industry’s first complete commercial rain garden kerb system, providing an effective and attractive SuDS solution, manufactured to the high-quality standards you would expect from Marshalls. It is a true ‘one of a kind’ system – there is nothing else like it in the marketplace.
“By offering developers the chance to combine EDENKERB with a suite of complementary products, landscape architects, designers and contractors have the freedom to create a wide variety of configurations tailored to the specific requirements of any project. Coupled with the natural beauty of a biodiverse garden, EDENKERB contributes to the overall enhancement of the spaces we live in.
“Currently, those installing rain garden kerbs must cut and fit bespoke solutions, slowing down processes on site. Available off-the-shelf in one modular design made up of three simple elements, EDENKERB makes it easier than ever to add rain gardens to a development.
“Having already proved its capabilities as part of the Mansfield trial, and now in situ at several other developments around the country, we believe EDENKERB will be truly transformative to the industry, and the future of our communities.”
As the needs of BNG and Schedule 3 become a practical reality for builders working on multi-plot developments, clever solutions that tick both water management and biodiversity boxes will be critical.
The true beauty of Marshalls’ rain garden kerb is that it makes it easier than ever to integrate rain gardens to building projects, when swift action is required to make longstanding and widespread change to protect our communities from the risk of flooding, while creating biodiverse and beautiful landscapes. This enables builders to leave a positive and lasting legacy – something they’ll be proud to be part of.
For more information on EDENKERB, visit Marshalls’ website.
