This really gets me going! In my part of Derby, Allestree, a leafy suburb on the northern fringe of the city, there has been an epidemic of paving or tarmacking over of front gardens. I calculate that at least half of front gardens here have had this treatment which usually involves the removal of the hedge, sometimes with its replacement by a brick wall. Trees and shrubs disappear too.
The reason for this awful practice is either to get the car (often a huge 4 by 4) off the road or because people are too lazy to garden or not able to because of infirmity, though I suspect the latter reason is not the most common.
Not only does all this lead to a greater risk of serious flash flooding, but it greatly diminishes biodiversity and spoils the character of a neighbourhood, turning it into a 'concrete jungle'.
There are several imaginative solutions which could be employed to provide for the parking of a vehicle without totally sacrificing greenery. Low-maintenance techniques can also cut down the time needed for gardening.
