Commercial Works in Kents Hill

Kents Hill sits close to employment areas and business parks on the eastern side of Milton Keynes, and the commercial sites we see here are mostly modern: office buildings with their own car parks, a local centre with shops and community buildings, and surgeries or nurseries with parking out front. Many were built at the same time as the surrounding estate, so their surfaces are now reaching an age where wear starts to show.

Office car parks are usually tarmac with block paved or concrete kerbs and a paved route to the main door. The typical problems are cracking where vehicles turn into bays, sunken areas around drainage covers and edges breaking away where cars mount the kerb. A single failing area can often be cut out and relaid without touching the rest.

Building entrances at offices and surgeries are frequently block paved, and they take a surprising amount of punishment from delivery vehicles, cleaning machines and footfall. Commercial block paving in good condition can be lifted in sections and relaid on a corrected bed where it has dipped, which is far less disruptive than replacing the whole approach.

Footpaths linking car parks to doors are where accessibility matters most. A path that has lifted at a tree root, or a ramp that has turned green in the shade, is a hazard for visitors with pushchairs or walking aids. Resin bound or paved footpaths can be rebuilt to a smooth, gentle line with good grip.

Sites here are often managed by facilities teams or agents rather than the business itself. In that case we write our findings and proposals clearly so they can be passed on and approved.

Bin stores and cycle shelters are easy to overlook but often show the worst wear on an office site. Refuse lorries reverse to them, wheeled bins scrape across the surface and spilled liquids stain it. A small apron of thicker tarmac or concrete edged blocks in front of a bin store can stop the damage spreading into the main car park, and a level route to the cycle shelter makes it far more likely staff will use it.