Groundworks · Car Parks · Roads · Drainage
Groundworks Contractors in Bicester, Thame & Northampton.
Every driveway we have laid in 30 years started with the groundwork. Car parks, access roads, drainage, and hardstanding start the same way: proper excavation, the right depth of compacted base, and falls that take water where it should go. M&C Paving brings that standard to commercial and residential groundworks across Bicester, Thame, Northampton, and the villages in between. Family run, 725+ independent reviews, and a 10-year written guarantee on our workmanship.
725+ Reviews
Google, TrustATrader, Facebook, and Yell
4.91 Average
independently verified
30+ Years in the Area
groundwork is where we started
Family Run Business
the team that surveys is the team that builds
10-Year M&C Guarantee
on the workmanship under every surface
TrustATrader Approved
vetted for over 11 years, 0 missed appointments
Groundworks Done Properly, Whatever Goes on Top.
Most surface failures are groundwork failures. A car park that sinks at the entrance, a road with standing water, a yard that cracks in its first winter: the problem is almost always underneath. We dig to the right depth, build the base in compacted layers, set the falls, and put the drainage in before anything is surfaced. Then we lay tarmac, block paving, resin, or concrete on top, or hand over a finished base for someone else to surface.
Car Park Construction & Resurfacing
New car parks built from the ground up, and tired car parks dug out and rebuilt or resurfaced. We handle excavation, sub-base, kerbing, drainage, and the finished surface in tarmac or block paving. Line marking and bay layout can be arranged as part of the job. Suitable for shops, offices, pubs, schools, churches, village halls, and residential blocks across Bicester, Thame, and Northampton.
Private Roads, Access Roads & Farm Tracks
Private and unadopted roads, estate roads, farm tracks, and access routes for new builds. We build the road base to carry the loads it will see, whether that is cars on a shared drive or tractors and delivery lorries on a farm, and surface it in tarmac or leave it as a compacted stone road where that is the better option. Road planing and resurfacing of existing private roads also covered.
Drainage Installation
Surface water drainage for driveways, car parks, patios, and gardens. We install linear channel drains, gullies, soakaways, French drains, and land drainage, and we connect new surfaces to existing systems where the regulations allow. Standing water on a driveway or a waterlogged garden is usually a drainage problem, not a surface problem, and it is fixed below ground.
Groundworks, Hardstanding & Site Preparation
Excavation, site clearance, muck away, Type 1 sub-base, concrete hardstanding, kerbs and edgings, and groundwork for extensions, garden rooms, and outbuildings. If you need a base you can build on, park on, or surface later, we prepare it to the specification the finished job needs.
What Happens Below the Surface Decides How Long It Lasts.
A surface is only as good as the base it sits on. On every groundworks job we follow the same build-up we use on our driveways, scaled to the loads the finished surface will carry.
1. Excavation to the right depth.
We dig out soft ground and old material until we reach a base that will hold. For a car park or road that is deeper than a domestic drive, because the loads are heavier and more frequent.
2. Compacted Type 1 sub-base in layers.
Base material goes in and gets compacted a layer at a time, not tipped in and rolled once. This is the part that stops sinking.
3. Falls and drainage set before surfacing.
Levels are set so water runs to channels, gullies, or soakaways, never into a low spot in the middle. Drainage goes in now, while it is still accessible.
4. Edge restraint and kerbing.
Kerbs and edgings are concreted in to hold the surface in place at its edges, where most failures begin.
5. Surfacing.
Tarmac, block paving, resin, or concrete laid to the correct thickness and specification for the use.
We photograph the build-up on every job and can show you what the ground looked like before the surface went on.
Peace of Mind: The 10-Year M&C Workmanship Guarantee
Cheap groundwork looks fine on the day. The problems show up in the first winter: a car park entrance that sinks under delivery lorries, a road with puddles that freeze, a hardstanding that cracks. By then the contractor has moved on.
M&C guarantees its workmanship against sinking and drainage failure for 10 years, in writing. We have been in Bicester since the 1990s and trading as a limited company since 2006, so the guarantee is backed by a business that will still be here to honour it.
Would you like more details on our guarantee? Call Bicester on 01869 876084.
Why Businesses and Homeowners Choose M&C for Groundworks
30 Years of Groundwork, Not 30 Years of Surfacing
We started in groundwork before we were known for driveways. Every one of the thousands of drives we have laid across Bicester, Thame, and Northampton sits on a base we built. Car parks and roads are the same job at a larger scale.
One Team, Start to Finish
The people who survey your site are the people who dig it, drain it, and surface it. No subcontracted groundwork crew handing over to a separate surfacing gang, and no gap in between where responsibility goes missing.
725+ Reviews You Can Read
More independently verified reviews than any other paving or groundworks contractor in the area, across Google, TrustATrader, Facebook, and Yell. Customers mention the groundwork, the tidiness, and the fact that the surface still looks right years later.
HOW IT WORKS
From Site Visit to Finished Surface
01
Get in Touch
Call or request a site visit online. Tell us what the area is for, roughly how big it is, and what is there now. We will arrange a visit at a time that suits you, including out of hours for commercial sites.
02
Survey & Written Quote
We walk the site, check the ground, levels, access, and where the water goes, and talk through surface options. You get a written quote that lists the depth of dig, base specification, drainage, kerbing, and surface, with no obligation.
03
Groundwork, Surfacing & Handover
The team arrives on the agreed date, excavates, builds the base, installs the drainage, and lays the surface. We work around your opening hours where we can, clear the site, and hand over with a 10-year written guarantee.
What Our Customers Say About Our Groundwork
725+ reviews across Google, TrustATrader, Facebook, and Yell. 4.91 average.
Completely transformed the front garden beyond our expectations. The guys were super efficient, friendly and hardworking. Really pleased with the work carried out and will definitely use again.
Mark R.
Google Review
We recently move house and had used M&C Paving previously having an excellent experience. We had no hesitation about using them again as they have been excellent and competitive again in every respect. We would recommend them to anyone wishing to achieve an outstanding driveway which will transform the look of the property
Graham P.
TrustATrader Review
Absolutely over the moon with the work James and his team did on our back garden. The team were amazing, so polite and professional and Jim helped beat about 3 other quotes we have, with a great price. Fabulous company could not speak any higher of them.
Ryan C.
Google Review
Groundworks Across Bicester, Thame, Northampton and the Surrounding Villages
We work from bases in Bicester, Thame, and Northampton and cover the towns and villages between them. For larger groundworks, car park, and road jobs we travel further where the job size makes it worthwhile. If you are outside the list below, ask.
- Bicester
- Launton
- Ambrosden
- Caversfield
- Chesterton
- Wendlebury
- Weston-on-the-Green
- Middleton Stoney
- Ardley
- Fritwell
- Souldern
- Charlton-on-Otmoor
- Islip
- Merton
- Kirtlington
- Bletchingdon
- Stratton Audley
- Fringford
- Buckingham
- Brackley
- Northampton
- Moulton
- Boughton
- Spratton
- Earls Barton
- Brafield-on-the-Green
- Little Houghton
- Brixworth
- Pitsford
- Chapel Brampton
- Hardingstone
- Nether Heyford
- Hackleton
- Towcester
- Daventry
- Kidlington
- Thame
- Towersey
- Kingsey
- Long Crendon
- Haddenham
- Cuddington
- Chearsley
- Aston Sandford
- Shabbington
- Ickford
- Worminghall
- Tiddington
- Albury
- Tetsworth
- Sydenham
- Chinnor
- Aston Rowant
- Lewknor
- Princes Risborough
Groundworks Questions Answered
What do groundworks include?
Groundworks is everything that happens before a surface or a building goes down: clearing the site, excavating to the right depth, removing the spoil, laying and compacting the sub-base, installing drainage, and setting kerbs and edgings. On a car park or road we usually lay the surface as well. On an extension or outbuilding we prepare the base and hand over to the builder.
Do you resurface existing car parks, or only build new ones?
Both. If the existing base is sound we can plane off the old surface and lay new tarmac on top. If the car park is sinking, breaking up, or holding water, the base has failed and resurfacing alone will not last. We will tell you which it is at the site visit, and the quote will say which approach we have priced.
What drainage do you install for driveways and car parks?
It depends on where the water needs to go. Linear channel drains along the edge or at the garage threshold, gullies connected to a soakaway, French drains for land that stays wet, and land drainage for gardens and fields. Under current rules, surface water from a new hard surface should drain within your own boundary, so a soakaway or a permeable surface is often part of the job.
Do I need planning permission for a car park, road, or hardstanding?
For a hardstanding or parking area at a house, usually not, as long as the surface is permeable or drains to a lawn or border within the property. Commercial car parks, new access roads, and anything that creates a new entrance onto a public road usually do need permission. We will tell you what applies at the site visit, and we recommend you confirm with the local planning authority before work starts.
How long does a car park or access road take to build?
A small car park of 10 to 20 spaces typically takes one to two weeks from first dig to finished surface. Roads and larger car parks take longer, and drainage and ground conditions make the biggest difference. Your quote will give a timescale, and we can phase the work around opening hours or term times.
What sub-base do you use, and how deep?
MOT Type 1 crushed stone, laid and compacted in layers. The depth depends on what the surface will carry. A car park or road that will see delivery vehicles needs a deeper base than a domestic drive, and the quote will state the depth we have priced so you can compare it with other quotes.
Do you work on private or unadopted roads?
Yes. Private and unadopted roads are the responsibility of the properties that use them, and we regularly rebuild or resurface them for groups of neighbours, estates, and farms. We can quote for the whole road or for a section, and we are happy to attend a residents' meeting to explain the options.
Get a Free Site Visit and Written Quote
Tell us what the area is for and we will come and look at it. You get a clear written price that lists the groundwork, the drainage, and the surface, with no obligation and no upfront payment.
Or call directly: 01869 876084
No upfront payment · 10-year written guarantee · TrustATrader approved · Family run since 2006