Environmental idea comes to surface

Hawke's Bay has a new environmental option with the first driveway in the region using Stoneset, a sustainable, permeable paving.
Water that runs off concrete ends up in the storm-water system, taken out of the water table, whereas a permeable surface allows water to run through, back into the groundwater system.
Local franchise owner Hannes Bauer said more people were becoming concerned about the environment and attempting to incorporate sustainable aspects into their homes. "From the environmental perspective it's great," he said.
"It's comparable to concrete but it has advantages concrete doesn't have.
"This is the first permeable driveway in Hawke's Bay."
Internationally, it had been used for anything from pedestrian areas to logos because a range of colours and thicknesses was available.
It could also solve flooding problems where driveways were lower than drainage because the surface did not hold water.