Dorset
Driveways, patios and landscaping in Dorset
Dorset is home for us. We lay driveways, patios and gardens right across the county, from Lyme Regis and Bridport in the west to Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch in the east, and up through Dorchester, Blandford and Shaftesbury.
- Free site visit and measure-up
- Itemised written quote
- Fully insured
- Permeable driveways, no planning
- Free site visitMeasured and quoted in writing
- Fully insuredPublic liability cover on every job
- Itemised quotesEvery stage priced separately
- Bournemouth basedWorking across the south
What we do
What we do in Dorset
We also lay artificial grass, build garden walls and steps, garden rooms and do groundworks and commercial surfacing.
Recent work
Jobs from across our area
Photos of our own driveways, patios and gardens. They are not all in Dorset.
Towns we cover
Towns and villages in Dorset
We work in and around:
Town guides:
- Bournemouth
- Poole
- Christchurch
- Wimborne
- Ferndown
- Verwood
- Wareham
- Swanage
- Dorchester
- Weymouth
- Bridport
- Lyme Regis
- Blandford Forum
- Shaftesbury
- Sherborne
- Gillingham
Not on the list? If you are near any of these, we can almost certainly help. Call us with your postcode.
Local know-how
Dorset ground and what it means for your build
Dorset changes a lot in a short distance, and so does the dig. Around Poole, Bournemouth, Ferndown and Wimborne the ground is mostly sandy heathland soil. It drains well, which suits resin bound and permeable paving, but it is loose, so edging needs a good concrete haunch to stop it creeping.
Through the middle of the county, around Dorchester and Blandford, it is chalk with flint. That makes a firm base but slow digging, so we allow for it at the survey. West Dorset, around Bridport and Lyme Regis, has more clay, which holds water and moves as it wets and dries. There we dig deeper, lay a membrane and make sure surface water has somewhere to go.
Who handles planning in Dorset
Most of the county is covered by Dorset Council. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have their own council, BCP Council. Poundbury in Dorchester has its own design code, and parts of towns like Sherborne, Shaftesbury and Wareham are conservation areas, so we check the rules before we price a front driveway there. Our planning permission guide explains the national rules.
FAQs
Questions about working in Dorset
Where in Dorset do you work?
All of it. That includes Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Wimborne, Ferndown, Wareham, Swanage, Dorchester, Weymouth, Bridport, Lyme Regis, Blandford, Shaftesbury, Sherborne and Gillingham, plus the villages around them.
Do I need planning permission for a driveway in Dorset?
The same national rule applies across Dorset: a permeable front driveway does not need planning permission, and a non-permeable one over 5 m² does unless the water drains into your own garden. Conservation areas and listed buildings can be stricter, and both Dorset Council and BCP Council handle dropped kerb applications separately.
Is resin bound a good choice on Dorset’s sandy soil?
Yes. Sandy ground around Poole and Bournemouth drains freely, which is exactly what a permeable resin bound drive needs underneath. The thing to get right is the edging, because sand moves if it is not held in.
We also cover Hampshire, South Wiltshire and West Sussex.
Book a free site visit
Book a free site visit. We measure up, talk through materials and send you a written, itemised quote.