Resin Bound Driveways suits Emsworth well, given a historic Georgian and Victorian harbourside town centre; in practice that means a seamless aggregate-and-resin surface, trowelled flat with no loose stone and no gaps for weeds. What that means on the ground in Emsworth is tight period frontages in the conservation area, with tidal flood risk close to the water, and tidal flood risk around Emsworth’s mill pond and Chichester Harbour frontage. Where it earns its keep is front-garden conversions and swept curves where a clean, low-maintenance finish matters most; the honest caveat is that a permeable build-up is what makes it SuDS-compliant — an impermeable base means it isn’t.
About Resin Bound Driveways
Resin bound driveways mix a graded natural aggregate fully through a clear UV-stable resin, then trowel the blend to a smooth, flat, close-textured finish over a properly prepared sub-base or a sound existing concrete or tarmac base. Because every stone is fully coated and bound, there is no loose material to migrate, sweep away or catch in shoes, and no gap for weeds to establish. It suits front-garden conversions, curved or swept driveways, and properties where a clean, contemporary, low-maintenance finish matters. Specified with a permeable build-up it also meets SuDS drainage requirements; specified over an impermeable base it does not, so the build-up matters more than the surface layer itself.
Best suited to: small to mid-size front-garden conversions, curved sweeps, and any property where a seamless no-weed finish is the priority
Less suited to: very heavy commercial vehicle loading, where a thicker structural surface like tarmac is the more sensible choice
Ground & property in Emsworth
Emsworth is a historic Georgian and Victorian harbourside town built around a tidal mill pond on the edge of Chichester Harbour, and a genuine conservation area covering much of the centre limits what can be done to its listed and period frontages. Tidal flood risk close to the water is a real factor that a standard inland street simply doesn’t have to consider.
Planning note: a conservation area across the historic harbourside centre with a number of listed buildings
Coastal / flood note: tidal flood risk around Emsworth’s mill pond and Chichester Harbour frontage