Draining to flower beds - Draining via edges

[lizlez123]

Ideally I would like to drain the front garden away from the house to the pavement - but the pavement is above the level of the garden. I wonder therefore if I can drain into the flower beds. If I have the bed, then a brick edge, then gravel would this work? Is it correct to leave 'spacer' gaps in the brick edge to allow the water into the soil - or would the soil and gravel just get all mixed up? Should I be considering a soakaway instead - the soil is clay.

[Tony McC]

You can no longer drain onto a public highway, so your only option is to direct surface water towards the flower beds or a soakaway.

However, if you are considering a gravel driveway, that will be naturally self-draining as long as it is correctly constructed. An edge of some description is a good idea as it will help keep the gravel in place, but there's no real need for spaces between edging units.