Resin Bound Driveways in Buckingham

Buckingham is an old county town on a loop of the River Great Ouse, with a historic centre of Georgian and earlier buildings, a busy market tradition and the University of Buckingham close by. Around that core, the town has grown with interwar and post war housing and, more recently, new estates on its outskirts. So the drives we are asked about range from short frontages on period houses to modern double drives on homes only a few years old.

For a period property, the priority is usually a surface that looks natural and fits the street. For a newer home, it is more often about replacing a builder's tarmac or block drive with something smoother and more personal. Either way, resin is only as good as its base. An existing tarmac or concrete drive that is solid and level can often be prepared and reused. If it has cracked, sunk or been laid thinly, we recommend lifting it and building a new permeable base first.

The Great Ouse winds around much of the town, and lower ground near the river can be wet after heavy or prolonged rain. A resin bound surface on a permeable base allows water to soak away through the drive, helping to reduce pooling and run off on to the road.

• Natural finishes for period frontages
• Upgrades for newer estate drives
• Permeable builds where ground is low lying

Buckingham is in the area covered by Buckinghamshire Council for planning. The national rule for front gardens is that a permeable surface, or one draining to your own lawn or beds, generally does not need permission, while a non-permeable surface larger than five square metres that drains to the road generally does. The historic centre is a conservation area with many listed buildings, so please check with the council before changing the front of a home in the older streets.