Permeable concrete in Queensland

QUDM, council codes and a lot of rain at once

Queensland drainage design keeps coming back to the Queensland Urban Drainage Manual. It isn't statute, but most planning schemes point at it, and the councils assessing your development expect the hydraulics to line up with it. On top of that, South East Queensland councils run stormwater quality codes for new development, with treatment targets that a permeable surface can contribute to directly. Permeable paving filters sediment in the profile, detains water in the base and infiltrates what the subgrade will take.

The climate sets the brief. Most of the year's rain lands in summer storms that dump hard and fast, so peak flow is what overwhelms pits, kerbs and downstream gullies. Taking a driveway or car park out of the runoff equation shaves the peak instead of just piping it somewhere else.

Soils, leaf litter and honest maintenance

Brisbane's reactive clays behave differently to the sandy coastal profiles up and down the Sunshine and Gold Coasts. We size the open-graded base around what the subgrade will genuinely accept, then control the outflow. Where infiltration isn't appropriate, the same pavement can be lined and drained instead.

Subtropical growth means sediment, leaf litter and seed. That's the real clogging risk, and it's manageable. A vacuum or regenerative-air sweep once or twice a year keeps the voids open, and a pressure wash followed by vacuuming recovers most of the capacity if it has been left too long. Never a rotary broom. It pushes the debris straight into the voids.

Our Queensland work is coordinated by the national team, with crews travelling for scheduled jobs. Brisbane and the coastal corridors are straightforward. Regional and far north jobs are planned around travel and batched where we can, and we'll be upfront about lead times.

• Car parks for commercial, school and community sites under stormwater quality conditions.
• Driveways on sloping or storm-exposed suburban blocks.

Tell us the site, the council and the area, and we'll work through whether permeable concrete suits the job. Get in touch.