New Driveways in Eaton Ford

Eaton Ford sits on the west bank of the Great Ouse, with a mix of established homes and quieter residential streets running back from the river. Most driveways here are replacements rather than first drives, and the owners we speak to usually have one clear goal: a drive that works properly for the next couple of decades without constant patching.

Getting there depends on the parts you cannot see. A new driveway is built in layers, and the surface is only the last of them. Below it sit the sub-base, the edging that holds everything in place and the drainage that carries water away. Shortcuts in any of those show up later as sinking, cracking or puddles, which is why our survey spends more time on the ground than on the finish.

• Ground check: firmness, wetness and any soft spots where the old drive has settled.
• Levels: the drive set to fall away from the house and meet the footway smoothly.
• Edges: kerbs or restraints set in concrete so the surface cannot creep.
• Extras: a ducted route for an EV charger and space for a second car if wanted.

Planning is a matter for Huntingdonshire District Council. The general position for front gardens is that permeable surfaces, or ones draining onto your own lawn or beds, do not need permission, while a solid surface over five square metres sending water into the road normally does. If your drive needs a new or wider dropped kerb, Cambridgeshire County Council handles that as highway authority.

A layout check is worthwhile too. Many owners only realise once the old drive is gone that a slightly wider opening, or a bay angled towards the garage, would make parking two cars far easier. Moving an edge by half a metre costs little at the planning stage and a lot once the surface is down.

Being close to the river, some plots have softer ground or a higher water table than others. Where that is the case, we allow for a deeper base or extra drainage in the quote rather than discovering it on the day.