- Perth man pleads with council to embrace his high-tech turf 'driveway'
- Perth lags behind in cutting edge turf paving technology
The first ever West Australian council has granted a trial of eco-friendly 'turf paving' on a residential driveway, which could lead to a widespread roll out of the technology.
![Architect Pablo Segnini successfully lobbied for the City of Bayswater to allow his innovative 'turf paving' in place of ...](/web/20170208083743im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/3/2/d/1/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gl2zrn.png/1476311022870.jpg)
From now until March 2017, the City of Bayswater will allow Pablo Segnini to keep his driveway, which is made from a support base of recycled plastic that can bear vehicles while allowing grass to grow through, camouflaging it.
Mr Segnini said it was a positive move.
![</P>](/web/20170208083743im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/3/3/y/u/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gl2zrn.png/1447911382870.jpg)
"At the end of the day, council was open to this new thing when I insisted they commit to the 'garden city' line," he said.
The matter will return to council for further consideration in 2017.
Widely used by commercial and government bodies on Australia's east coast, the 'pavers', high-density polyethylene sourced from recycled wheelie bins, have been proved to hold heavy traffic while improving drainage and reducing the need for traditional concrete pavers.
The City of Vincent has previously allowed a resident to use the technology on their driveway - but not allowing it on the crossover (the area that crosses the verge), as Mr Segnini's does.
![A side-on view of how grass grows through the porous paving blocks, allowing normal root growth.](/web/20170208083743im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/2/z/o/3/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gl2zrn.png/1447911382870.png)
After researching eco-friendly options while subdividing his home, Mr Segnini had a landscaper install the 'driveway', and sink a bore to irrigate it.
But when council workers saw the innovation, they told him it did not conform to council by-laws which required paved or concreted crossovers.
![The driveway is made from a support base of recycled plastic that can bear vehicles while allowing grass to grow ...](/web/20170208083743im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/3/3/z/5/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gl2zrn.png/1447911382870.jpg)
Mr Segnini appealed and presented his case to Council, challenging it to make good on its "garden city" slogan.
Councillor Chris Cornish said that at the end of the trial, councillors would assess how the driveway looked, how it held up structurally and whether there had been any issues with traffic confusion.
"One of the officer's concerns was that people might inadvertently park in front of it, not knowing it was a driveway," he said.
"The trial will show whether that does become a problem, but if it does, a possible solution could be colouring the lip between the road and the driveway. It's an example of how for every problem there is a potential solution."
The report said Council had been advised that the product had been used for more than 30 years in the eastern states and was designed and manufactured specifically as a weight-bearing block for vehicles and high traffic areas.
The report noted the product had the potential to improve the streetscape and reduce the impact on the urban heat island effect, but worried about creating a precedent if the product turned out to be substandard.
It had recommended Council allow Mr Segnini to keep his driveway but rip up the end of the crossover and pave it.
Councillors decided, however, to give the whole thing a try, making it the first Grass-Cel driveway crossover in WA as far as Cr Cornish knew.
"It's a great result for the resident and also potentially for the wider community if this is successful," he said.
WA is late to the party on the technology, which has been long used in other states.
New South Wales' Rookwood General Cemeteries Reserve Trust , which manages about 200 hectares of land, uses the technology for parking.
"Rookwood is a major green space within the Western Sydney region and management of surface water is a major consideration," planning and development director Rob Smart said.
"At Rookwood Cemetery we have a large need for off street car parking ... we are conscious not to create additional hard surface areas.
"The use of a Grass-Cel system beneath a lawn area allows vehicular traffic without damaging the grass or leaving large indentations after rain. It also allows water to infiltrate the ground, reducing stormwater runoff."
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