We need to replace the driveway outside our Victorian red brick semi. It is currently a mixture of crazy paving down each edge for approx 1m wide, then 2'x2' Concetre Slabs in the centre providing parking for two cars, finally between that and the tarmac pavement is a 1m wide section of a different tarmac.

The crazy paving looks nasty, the tarmac to the pavement has sunk on one end and the paving slabs are loose having been driven over by various flat bed trucks etc during our renovation works. Having lifted one of the slabs I have discovered it is sitting on bare earth and it was seemingly just the cement mortar around the edges that was holding them in place. Now that this has started to break up in a few places water is getting under them and they are unstable.

Can anyone suggest a cost effective yet relatively green replacement drive? We have ruled out grass grid as we think it will look odd in front of a formal red-brick Victorian house and caged gravel too as we have a tiled hall floor that will not appreciate gravel getting walked in. We could easily put in a slope away from the house out onto the pavement and road, but would rather use SUDS of some sort. Two final points, our mains electricity comes in under the drive at a depth of around 12" and there is a cellar grate set in the drive immediately outside the front bay window.

Any suggestions and guideance gratefully received.

At the Energy Centre (see www.syec.co.uk) we used recycled concrete block paviors. My view is that if you have to use concrete, then second-hand is good! And there is also the advantage that by the timew you buy them second-hand, they will probably have faded as much as thy are going to, so you don't end up with a disappointingly greyish-red drive.

Nick

Thanks all...sorry for the pause I have been on holiday (in the UK before you ask Chris!)

Tony> I have not come across Road Plannings before, I presume the are created when the remove an existing road surface? Please can you point me to a source or link to more information, I seem to be struggling to Google for them?

Nick> That sounds like an interesting idea, but how do you address the SUDS drainage issues? I did not think they were porous.

Chris> Not a realistic option unfortuntately.

I have also read about porous paving of various types, has anyone used any of them?

Try recycled materials from an aggregate supplier/waste disposal company for road plannings

Could you re-lay the slabs, on a proper bed of compacted hardcore then sand and cement, adding a few more from a reclaimer if necessary? Cover the area you need for parking and access then plant up the edges. Put a drainage gully at the entrance to catch the run off and lay it with a fall to a gravel soakaway at one side hidden within the flower beds. Failing that, would it be worth hiring a mini crusher for a day and crushing all your slabs and crazy paving etc on site rather than skipping it all?