Resin Bonded Surfacing suits Southsea well, given dense Victorian and Edwardian terraces and converted townhouses, many within the seafront conservation area; in practice that means aggregate broadcast and rolled onto a resin adhesive layer, giving a textured, gravel-like finish. What that means on the ground in Southsea is extremely narrow frontages with heavy on-street parking pressure near the seafront, and direct seafront exposure to salt-laden air along the Southsea promenade. Where it earns its keep is larger areas and verges being resurfaced over an already sound, level base; the honest caveat is that it keeps more texture underfoot than resin bound, which suits some frontages better than others.
About Resin Bonded Surfacing
Resin bonded surfacing works differently to resin bound: a resin adhesive is spread over the prepared base and the aggregate is then broadcast and rolled onto that wet layer, so only the underside of each stone is bonded and the top surface keeps its natural, textured, gravel-like appearance and grip. It is generally laid in a single layer rather than the full-depth mix used for resin bound, which makes it a economical option for covering larger areas, verges, and pathways where the fully smooth resin-bound look isn’t essential. The finish is more textured underfoot than resin bound and, because it is a thinner system, it is usually specified over a genuinely sound and level existing base rather than as a full standalone rebuild.
Best suited to: larger areas, verges, and pathways being resurfaced over an already sound, level base
Less suited to: a fully smooth barefoot-friendly finish, or sites needing a full structural rebuild rather than a resurface
Ground & property in Southsea
Southsea’s dense Victorian and Edwardian terraces and converted townhouses sit close to the seafront, and a good number of them fall inside the Southsea seafront conservation area, which shapes what can be done to the original frontage. The ground here is shallow and low-lying, so getting the falls right matters, and salt-laden air off the promenade weathers an exposed surface faster than it would a few streets inland.
Planning note: the Southsea seafront conservation area constraining changes to many original Victorian and Edwardian frontages
Coastal / flood note: direct seafront exposure to salt-laden air along the Southsea promenade