Resin Bound Driveways in Bradwell

Bradwell takes in an old village core, close to the remains of Bradwell Abbey, and the housing that was built around it as Milton Keynes expanded. Nearby New Bradwell has its own rows of Victorian railway terraces and the landmark windmill. So a resin enquiry here might come from a cottage with a short gravel frontage, a terrace with a small yard, or a 1970s or 1980s home with a concrete drive that has started to crack along its joints.

Each of those starts in a different place. Gravel frontages normally need the loose stone taken up and a proper base built. Small yards may only need a light build because they carry foot traffic. Older concrete drives can sometimes be kept as the base if they are solid and level, which saves on digging out. Where concrete panels have moved or tree roots have lifted them, we would rather build new than lay resin over a surface that will keep shifting.

• Gravel replaced with a fixed, tidy surface
• Concrete reused only when it is sound
• Light builds for path and yard areas

Clay ground is common in this part of Milton Keynes, and it can hold water after a wet spell. The Grand Union Canal also runs close by. Because resin bound is permeable when it sits on a permeable base, it helps rainwater soak away through the drive rather than pooling at the kerb or the garage door, which is a frequent complaint with older impermeable drives.

Milton Keynes City Council is the planning authority for Bradwell. The national front garden rules say a permeable surface, or one draining to your own lawn or borders, generally does not need planning permission, while a non-permeable area over five square metres draining to the road generally does. If your home is in the older village streets, it is wise to ask the council whether any conservation controls apply before you change the front.