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PERMEABLE CONCRETE block paving (PCBP) scored its first major success in the Western Cape when it was selected for a water attenuation project at Grand Parade in central Cape Town. This historic square has been accepted as the official public viewing site for the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA).
The project entailed removing an asphalt surface and relaying the entire square with concrete block paving (CBP). Most of the ±20 000 m^sup 2^ project involved the use of conventional concrete block pavers, apart from a ±5 000 m^sup 2^ strip at the bottom end of the square which has been surfaced with a PCBP system. The PCBP strip has more than sufficient infiltration capacity to handle the stormwater run-off of the entire square.
Permeable paving was chosen as the most suitable means of stormwater rain attenuation, as other systems such as catch pits or ponds were deemed unsuitable for controlled water dispersal...