McFadden Utilities is a block paving and white works contractor based in Hertfordshire, delivering block paving, modular paving, paving slabs, and kerb laying across commercial, utility, and civils projects in London and the South East. Typical work includes utility reinstatement paving after trench crossings, car park and access road block paving, kerb installation alongside highway works, and paving as part of broader civils and reinstatement scope.
Block paving is one of those services that looks straightforward from a distance and stops looking straightforward as soon as you try to do it right. Sub-base depth and compaction decide whether the surface stays flat or sinks. Edge restraint decides whether the blocks spread apart over time. Block selection (60mm for pedestrian, 80mm for vehicular) decides whether it survives the loading. Jointing sand, pattern, and finish decide whether it looks like proper trade work or like a weekend job. Do any of those badly and the work comes back within a year.
McFadden’s white works scope covers four related surfaces that usually come as a package on commercial and utility jobs. Block paving for driveways, yards, access routes, and utility reinstatement. Modular paving for larger-format commercial paving systems. Paving slabs and slabbing for pedestrian areas, commercial frontages, and landscaping. Kerb laying for highway edges, access points, and pavement separation. Concreting, which runs alongside white works on most jobs, has its own dedicated service page for foundations, bases, and structural concrete work.
Most block paving failures happen in the sub-base before the first block goes down. Get that right, build proper edge restraint, use the right block for the loading, and it'll stay looking good for twenty years. Skip any of that and you're back in six months.
Paul McFadden, Director
Utility reinstatement paving is the scope McFadden delivers most often. When a utility trench crosses a block-paved surface (car park, access road, forecourt, pedestrian area), the paving has to come up before the trench is dug and go back down after the reinstatement’s compacted. NRSWA-trained operatives handle the breakout, saving and cleaning the existing blocks where possible, completing the underground work, compacting the new sub-base to spec, and relaying the blocks with correct jointing and edge restraint. Matching into the existing surface cleanly is its own skill. The best reinstatement paving is the reinstatement nobody notices.
Commercial block paving outside the utility reinstatement context is the other half of the work. New build driveways on commercial sites, car park surfacing for retail or industrial developments, access road block paving where the design specifies it over tarmac or concrete, yard paving for logistics or industrial yards, and pedestrian area paving for commercial frontages. Block selection runs from standard 60mm pedestrian blocks through to 80mm commercial blocks (like Marshalls Keyblok) for vehicular loading, with modular paving systems where the specification calls for larger formats.
Slabbing and kerb laying complete the white works scope. Paving slabs for commercial pedestrian areas, mixed with block paving where the design pattern calls for it. Kerb laying for highway edges, access points, traffic island separation, and raised edges on block-paved areas. Resin surfacing is delivered through specialist third-party partners where the specification calls for it, with McFadden handling the groundworks and sub-base while the resin finish goes down by specialist applicators.
A block paving job runs in four phases, whether it's a fresh commercial installation or a utility reinstatement of an existing paved surface. Get the sub-base right and everything above it stays flat.
Existing surface broken out (or excavation to the correct depth on new work), ground compaction and level check, confirmation of any underground services before the sub-base goes in. For reinstatement work, existing blocks saved and cleaned for reuse where possible.
Type 1 sub-base laid and compacted in layers to specification, edge restraint installed (kerb, concrete haunching, or similar) to stop the blocks spreading under load, final levelling of the laying course sand before blocks go down.
Blocks laid in the specified pattern (stretcher, herringbone, basketweave, or design-led layouts), cuts made against edges and access points, surface checked for consistent level across the full area before jointing starts.
Kiln-dried sand brushed into the joints, surface vibrated with a plate compactor to settle the blocks, final sand top-up where needed, site cleaned, and handover with any relevant records for the client's file.
White works teams work from the Hertfordshire depot, covering London and the wider South East as standard. The six-county core service area is where most jobs get delivered, with larger framework and commercial schemes taking teams further afield.
The questions we hear most about block paving and white works.
Block paving, modular paving, paving slabs and slabbing, and kerb laying across commercial, utility, and civils projects. Typical work includes utility reinstatement paving (where existing paved surfaces have to come up for trenchwork and go back down afterwards), new build commercial paving (car parks, yards, access routes, forecourts), kerb installation alongside highway works, and slabbing for pedestrian areas and commercial frontages. Concreting, which runs alongside white works on most jobs, has its own dedicated service.
Block thickness is specified by loading. 60mm blocks are typically used for pedestrian paving, driveways, and light vehicular areas. 80mm blocks are used for areas that take heavier vehicular loading, including car parks, access roads, commercial yards, and forecourts with delivery vehicles. Specifying the wrong thickness is one of the most common causes of block paving failure. The blocks don’t crack immediately, but they start to sink, rock, and spread under repeated loading. Commercial specifications usually require 80mm minimum for any vehicular area.
Yes. When a utility trench crosses a block-paved surface, the existing paving has to come up before the trench is dug and go back down after the reinstatement is compacted. McFadden’s NRSWA-trained operatives handle the breakout, save and clean the existing blocks where possible, complete the underground work, compact the new sub-base to specification, and relay the blocks with correct jointing and edge restraint. Matching into the existing surface cleanly, same block, same pattern, same jointing, is its own skill.
Yes. Block paving for car parks, access roads, commercial yards, forecourts, and pedestrian areas runs as standalone commercial work outside the utility context. The same teams, materials, and methods apply. Commercial block paving specifications typically use 80mm blocks for vehicular areas, with the sub-base depth specified by the loading requirement. Pattern, block selection, and finish are specified by the client or the landscape design.
Yes. Kerb laying is part of McFadden’s white works scope, covering highway edges, access points, traffic islands, pavement separation, and raised edges around block-paved areas. Kerbs are installed to NRSWA standards where they sit on adopted highway, and to client specification on private sites. Pre-cast and in-situ options both available depending on specification.
Resin-bound surfacing is delivered through specialist third-party partners. McFadden handles the preparation, sub-base, and groundworks, and the resin surface is installed by specialist applicators. This split reflects how most commercial resin schemes are delivered, with the groundworks contractor and the resin specialist working together on the same programme. Where the project scope calls for resin, McFadden coordinates both sides as a single package for the client.
Block paving uses smaller individual paving blocks (typically 100x200mm or similar) laid in a pattern, with jointing sand brushed between them. Slabbing uses larger paving slabs (typically 450x450mm or bigger), usually bedded on mortar, with wider joints. Block paving tends to be stronger under concentrated vehicular loading and easier to lift and relay for utility reinstatement. Slabbing tends to be faster to lay on larger pedestrian areas and gives a different aesthetic finish. Most commercial schemes use a mix.
McFadden delivers block paving, modular paving, slabbing, and kerb laying across Hertfordshire, London, Surrey, Essex, Cambridgeshire, and Berkshire as standard, working from the Hertfordshire depot. Larger schemes and framework contracts take teams further afield. Get in touch for projects outside this core area.
Whether it's a utility reinstatement that needs matching back into an existing surface, a commercial car park or access road installation, a kerb laying scheme alongside highway works, or a mixed white works package across block paving, modular paving, and slabbing, the white works team are happy to talk through the scope and get a quote over. Subcontract enquiries from civils firms, main contractors, and developers welcome.
Phone: 01707 648 420
Email: info@tonymcfadden.co.uk