Block paving
The most popular choice, and the only common surface that can be lifted and relaid invisibly if a section settles or a service trench goes through.
- Cost
- £80–£140/m²
- Life
- 20 years+
Milton Keynes · Buckinghamshire · Bedfordshire · Northamptonshire
Milton Keynes driveways, built from the base up.
Block paving, resin bound, tarmac, gravel and natural stone for Milton Keynes and the surrounding towns, surveyed before it is priced, and quoted line by line so you can see what you are paying for.
- Itemised written quotes
- Site survey before pricing
- Compliant drainage
- No obligation
Free quote
No obligation
What a real quote should tell you.
- Excavation
- Depth, and what happens to the spoil
- Sub-base
- Material and compacted thickness
- Edging
- How the perimeter is restrained
- Drainage
- Where the water actually goes
- Written, itemised quotesExcavation, sub-base, edging and drainage priced separately
- Site survey before pricingNobody prices a driveway properly from a satellite photo
- Compliant surface water drainageBuilt to meet the 2008 permeable-surface rules, not around them
- Local installers onlyCrews working their own patch, not a national call centre
Almost every driveway that fails does so for the same reason, and it is never the blocks. It is the 200mm of compacted stone that should be underneath them and is not.
PaveLocal exists to make that visible before you spend anything. Every quote we write itemises the excavation depth, the sub-base material and thickness, the edge restraint and the drainage solution, so when you hold it against another quote, you can see where the two differ instead of comparing two totals.
We are based in Milton Keynes and work across the city and the surrounding towns of Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire with local installers, and we will tell you when a repair is a better use of your money than a replacement. If you are in MK, start with our guides to driveways in Milton Keynes, block paving in Milton Keynes and resin driveways in Milton Keynes.
Driveway types
Six surfaces, compared side by side.
Each of these has a page explaining how it is built, what it costs and where it is the wrong choice.
Resin bound
Seamless and permeable, laid in a day over a sound existing base. Excellent value in that case, and the wrong answer over block paving.
- Cost
- £70–£120/m²
- Life
- 15 years+
Tarmac
The cheapest way to cover a large area properly. Long drives and rural approaches, where block paving would be both expensive and slightly absurd.
- Cost
- £45–£90/m²
- Life
- 15–20 years
Gravel
Permeable by default, so no planning question at all. Laid in a stabilising grid it stays put; tipped loose over membrane it ends up in the road.
- Cost
- £40–£80/m²
- Life
- 10–20 years
Pattern imprinted concrete
One continuous stamped slab. Strong and jointless, but it cannot be repaired invisibly and it needs resealing every three to five years.
- Cost
- £70–£120/m²
- Life
- 15–20 years
Natural stone
The most expensive option and the only one that improves with age. On a period or conservation frontage it is the correct material, not an indulgence.
- Cost
- £120–£220/m²
- Life
- 30 years+
Services
What we do.
How it works
How a driveway job actually runs.
Four stages. The timings below are what these jobs really take, not the best case with everything going right.
-
01
Send us the basics
Postcode, rough size, and what is there now. A photo of the existing drive from the pavement tells us more than a paragraph does.
Same day, usually within a few hours.
-
02
Site survey
Someone comes out, measures up, checks levels and finds out where the water currently goes. This is also when access gets checked, a machine that cannot reach the back of the plot changes the price.
Typically within a week of your enquiry.
-
03
Itemised written quote
Dig depth, sub-base type and thickness, edging, drainage solution, surface material and make-good. Separate lines, so you can hold it against another quote and see where they differ.
2–3 working days after the survey.
-
04
Installation
A typical two-car driveway is three to five working days on site: dig out and cart away, lay and compact the sub-base, edge it, then surface it. Resin and concrete both need a dry weather window, so dates move in a wet week.
Lead time depends on the season, spring and early autumn are the busiest.
Areas covered
Where we work.
Eleven towns with their own local page, covering the ground conditions, the council that handles dropped kerbs, and the housing stock in each.
Towns with a local driveway page
- Northampton
- Milton Keynes
- Bedford
- Aylesbury
- Leighton Buzzard
- Luton
- Towcester
- Dunstable
- Wellingborough
- Buckingham
- Brackley
- Kettering
Northampton, Milton Keynes and Bedford each have separate pages for block paving and resin as well. Everything else in between is covered too, see the full list on the areas page.
Also covered Bletchley, Wolverton, Stony Stratford, Newport Pagnell, Olney, Woburn Sands and Winslow, plus the villages between them.
FAQ
Driveway questions, answered straight.
How much does a new driveway cost?
As indicative ranges for this region: block paving roughly £80–£140 per square metre installed, resin bound £70–£120 over a sound base, tarmac £45–£90 and natural stone £120–£220. Ground conditions, access and how much spoil has to be carted away move those figures significantly, which is why a firm price should follow a survey rather than a phone call.
Do I need planning permission for a driveway?
Not if the surface is permeable, or if the water drains to a soakaway or planted area within your own property. You do need it for more than five square metres of impermeable surface at the front of a house draining onto the road. A dropped kerb is a separate application to your local highway authority.
How long does a driveway take to install?
Three to five working days for a typical two-car drive: dig out and cart away, sub-base, edging, then the surface. Clay ground adds time. Resin and concrete both need a dry weather window, so a wet week moves the date.
Which driveway surface lasts longest?
Natural stone, then block paving, both are laid as individual units, so they can be lifted and relaid rather than replaced. Every surface lasts longer or shorter almost entirely according to the sub-base under it, which is the part you cannot see and the part cheap quotes cut.
Do you charge for a quote?
No. The survey and the written quote are free and carry no obligation. We would rather look at the job properly than price it off a photograph and revise it afterwards.
What should be in a driveway quote?
Excavation depth, what happens to the spoil, sub-base material and compacted thickness, how the edges are restrained, and where the water goes. Three of those are invisible once it is finished, which is exactly why a cheap quote leaves them out.
Do I need a dropped kerb?
If you are creating a new vehicle access across a pavement, yes, and it is a separate application to the highway authority rather than part of the driveway work. Apply early, because a refusal after the drive is built is expensive.
How do I know if I need a repair or a replacement?
If the surface is tired but the structure is sound, resurfacing keeps your money in your pocket. Rutting in the wheel tracks, rocking underfoot or sinking in patches is the sub-base, and no surface work fixes that for long.
Which driveway surface is cheapest?
Tarmac per square metre, and it stays cheapest on a large area. On a small drive the gap narrows, because excavation, spoil disposal and edging cost the same whatever goes on top.
What areas do you cover?
Milton Keynes first, where we are based, then the surrounding towns across Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: Northampton, Bedford, Aylesbury, Leighton Buzzard, Luton, Towcester, Dunstable, Wellingborough, Buckingham and Brackley, plus the towns and villages between them.
Guides
Worth reading before you get quotes.
Free quote
Get a free quote.
Send your postcode and a rough size and we will arrange a survey. A photo of the drive from the pavement tells us more than a paragraph does.
- Itemised, in writingExcavation, sub-base depth, edging, drainage and surface priced as separate lines, so you can compare quotes properly.
- Surveyed before it is pricedGround conditions decide the cost of a driveway. Anyone quoting a firm price off a photo is guessing.
- No obligationA quote is a quote. If you use someone else, that is fine, we will not chase you about it.
Prefer to talk it through? Call 07423 123796, message us on WhatsApp or email info@pavelocal.co.uk.