The Woodcock Lane site in north-west Birmingham involved the redevelopment of a commercial-industrial plot alongside the Grand Union Canal into a residential apartment scheme. With the proposed building occupying around 75% of the site area, and only limited space available for surface water management, the drainage design needed to carefully balance attenuation, water quality and controlled discharge. The site’s canal-side setting also placed particular importance on flood risk and the quality of any surface water leaving the development.
Civia was engaged to develop the drainage strategy for the scheme, using hydraulic modelling to assess runoff volumes, peak flows and climate change allowances. A sustainable drainage solution was prepared using a flow-through rain garden, aggregate-based attenuation and flow control to restrict discharge to 1.8 l/s while improving water quality before outfall to the canal. By combining attenuation and treatment within a constrained layout, the design achieved a greenfield runoff rate on an otherwise hardstanding site.
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