The things
people ask.

Since 2008, a new front driveway over five square metres needs planning permission if it uses an impermeable surface that drains to the road. Keep it permeable — permeable block, resin-bound, gravel or porous asphalt — or drain to a soakaway or border on your own land, and it stays permitted development. We build to that as standard.

Five square metres is about the size of a single parking space, so almost every real driveway exceeds it. That means the surface and drainage choice, not the size, is what usually keeps you inside permitted development. Under 5m², or where the surface is permeable or drains to your own land, no application is needed.

Almost always. Flooding is a falls or drainage problem, not a surface one. We find where the water is going and put in the falls, channel drain or soakaway that should have been there from the start.

It can if it is ignored. The clay south of the Mersey drains slowly and moves with the seasons, and valley plots near central Stockport sit wet. We build the base and drainage for that ground rather than laying a generic recipe everywhere.

A typical single or double drive is three to five working days depending on the dig, ground and weather. Larger or phased drives take longer. You get a programme with the quote and we stick to it.

We dig out. Laying a new surface over an old, failing one just hides the problem for a season. A full dig-out to firm ground, a compacted sub-base and proper edges are what make a drive last.

It depends on the frontage, the ground, how you use the drive and your budget. Block paving is the versatile workhorse, resin-bound the tidy low-maintenance option, natural stone the premium look, tarmac the value choice on long drives. We tell you honestly what suits — including when the cheaper option is right.

Yes — a site visit and a written, itemised quote cost nothing and come with no obligation. Send a few photos and measurements and we can often give you a ballpark before we visit.

Ten years on the base and workmanship, in writing — not just the manufacturer’s cover on the blocks. If the drive moves, sinks or fails through our work, we come back and put it right.

Yes — Marshalls Register and FeRFA installers, TrustMark registered, members of Buy With Confidence, and fully insured. It is the paperwork behind a guarantee that actually means something.