Footpaths look like the simplest surfacing job on a site and are the ones most often got wrong. They are narrow, so edges matter more; they carry occasional vehicle loads from maintenance and delivery traffic; and because people walk on them, a settled edge or a ponding hollow becomes a trip hazard rather than an inconvenience.

Where we lay them

Campus and business park walkways
Estate and housing development footpaths
School routes, playgrounds and MUGA approaches
Shared-use and cycle paths
Hospital and care site access routes
Park and public realm paths

How a path is built

A typical pedestrian path runs a 20–25mm surface course over a compacted sub-base of 100–150mm, with edgings set on concrete to stop the material spreading. Where maintenance vehicles or refuse trucks will cross it, the build-up is deepened and the edge detail strengthened — a path built for feet alone breaks up the first time a van mounts it.

Falls are set so water runs to a channel, gully or soft landscaping rather than sitting in the middle. Where a path adjoins block paving or resin, the junction is detailed so the two surfaces stay level as they settle.

Accessibility

Gradients, crossfalls, tactile paving at crossings and level thresholds all matter on routes the public uses. Tell us if the route has to meet a specific standard and we will build to it.

Footpaths & pathways