Civil engineering
Groundworks, drainage, concrete and external works for commercial sites across the UK and Ireland. Design and build, or works to your engineer's drawings, delivered by our own teams and our own plant.
Why choose us
VCNY Group delivers civil engineering and groundworks to commercial sites across the UK and Ireland — retail parks, distribution centres, industrial estates, schools, healthcare premises and new build developments. From site clearance and bulk excavation through to drainage, foundations, concrete, kerbing and surfacing, the work is carried out by directly employed teams using our own excavators, dumpers, rollers and attachments.
Because the group also covers building services, tarmac surfacing, line marking, anti skid coatings and specialist cleaning, the packages either side of the civils stay with the same contractor and the same programme — no second procurement exercise and no gap between trades.
What we do
From day to day repairs and statutory compliance through to complete refurbishment and fit out. Every service below is delivered in house or through our long standing supply chain, managed by one team and invoiced on one account. Browse the cards and open any service for more detail.
Bulk excavation, cut and fill, and the earthworks that get a site to formation level.
View service GroundworksClearing, grubbing up and preparing a site ready for construction to begin.
View service GroundworksMachine and hand excavation for services, foundations and drainage runs.
View service GroundworksRegrading and levelling to design falls, ready for surfacing or building.
View service GroundworksExcavate, lay, backfill and compact in layers with the right imported fill.
View service GroundworksBreaking out slabs, structures and redundant hardstanding, with waste removed.
View service GroundworksTaking up failed hardstanding and rebuilding it to carry the loads it needs to.
View service StructuresStrip, pad, raft and piled cap foundations built to your engineer's drawings.
View service StructuresFormwork, pours, finishes and curing across every element of the substructure.
View service StructuresReinforced frames, walls, bases and structures designed for heavy loading.
View service StructuresMachine bases, plant bases, floor slabs and external hardstanding slabs.
View service StructuresRebar fixing, mesh, starter bars and cast in fixings, inspected before pour.
View service StructuresGravity, reinforced and crib retaining structures with drainage behind.
View service StructuresBelow and above ground brickwork, blockwork and masonry repairs.
View service StructuresThe load bearing groundworks that everything above them depends on.
View service Drainage & waterFoul and surface water drainage laid, tested and connected to the network.
View service Drainage & waterCCTV survey, jetting, patch lining and full replacement of failed runs.
View service Drainage & waterManaging surface water so a site drains properly in the heaviest rainfall.
View service Drainage & waterCrate systems, tanks and soakaways sized to the discharge rate allowed.
View service Drainage & waterNew chambers, raising, rebuilding and cover replacement to the right load class.
View service Drainage & waterCulverts, headwalls and watercourse works carried out to consent.
View service Drainage & waterProtecting sites and buildings from surface water and flood risk.
View service SurfacingEstate roads and access roads built up from subgrade to surface course.
View service SurfacingNew car parks and hardstanding designed for the vehicles that will use them.
View service SurfacingBase, binder and surface course laid and compacted to specification.
View service SurfacingBlock paving, flags and setts laid on the correct bedding and sub base.
View service SurfacingKerbs, edgings and channels set to line and level, with haunching.
View service SurfacingPedestrian routes and vehicle access built to take the loads expected.
View service SurfacingHeavy duty yards and loading bays built for HGV movements and standing loads.
View service UtilitiesDuct runs, draw pits and marker tape installed ready for the utility provider.
View service UtilitiesIncoming services, connections and the civils that support them.
View service UtilitiesDiverting live services safely so construction can proceed.
View service UtilitiesColumn bases, ducting and feeder pillars for external lighting schemes.
View service Site worksBollards, barriers and protection installed where vehicles and people meet.
View service Site worksPermanent fencing, gates and site hoarding to secure a site or a boundary.
View service Site worksSoft and hard landscaping to finish the site once the civils are complete.
View service Site worksRamps, dropped kerbs, tactile paving and step free routes.
View service Site worksPropping, shoring, trench support and temporary access designed and installed.
View service Site worksKeeping vehicles, deliveries and pedestrians moving safely around live works.
View service SpecialistTesting, treating and removing contaminated ground under a validated plan.
View service MaintenanceRolling civils programmes plus emergency response when something fails.
View service
Get a FREE quotation
Contact our team today for expert advice, free site surveys and competitive quotations. We look forward to discussing your project.
In detail
Whether it is a single drainage repair or a full site build up, the work below is delivered by the same teams and the same plant, with the setting out, testing records and as built information your engineer and your file will need.
Site clearance, bulk excavation, cut and fill, levelling and grading to formation. We survey the ground first, allow properly for what is under it, and set the site up so every trade that follows is working to the right levels.
Foul and surface water drainage, attenuation crates, soakaways, manholes, culverts and connections to the network. Existing systems are CCTV surveyed, jetted, lined or replaced, and everything new is tested before it is covered.
Foundations, substructures, reinforced concrete frames, slabs, machine bases and retaining walls. Reinforcement is fixed and inspected before every pour, and pours are planned around weather, curing times and the programme that follows.
Estate roads, access roads, car parks, footpaths and heavy duty yards built from subgrade upwards, with kerbing, edgings, block paving and tarmac. Designed for the vehicles that will actually use them, not the minimum specification.
Ducting, service trenches, draw pits, diversions, lighting column bases and incoming connections. We coordinate with the utility providers so the civils are ready when they are, rather than the other way round.
Breaking out redundant slabs and structures, removing failed hardstanding, treating contaminated ground under a validated plan, and the temporary works, traffic management and access that keep a live site running while it happens.
The packages either side of the civils are covered by the same group: building services, tarmac surfacing, line marking, anti skid coatings and specialist cleaning — on the same order and the same programme.
How we work
Whether it is a single reactive repair or a full building refurbishment, every project receives the same structured approach, attention to detail and commitment to quality.
We visit, measure and photograph the building, then quote a fixed price against a written scope.
Dates, phasing, RAMS, permits and access arrangements agreed before anyone mobilises.
Our own teams on site, working around your operating hours, with daily progress updates.
Joint sign off, before and after photographs, waste transfer notes and certification.
Sectors
Every building comes with its own constraints and challenges — trading hours, staff and public on site, deliveries, access restrictions and operational requirements. We take the time to understand them before works begin, so the programme is planned around the way the building actually runs.
Overnight and out of hours works that keep units trading and customer parking open.
Doors, floors, racking bays and welfare areas maintained around 24 hour operations.
Delivered in holidays and half terms, with DBS checked supervision on site.
Infection control, clear access routes and disruption kept away from patients.
Framework and schedule of rates works across public buildings and estates.
Fit out, remedial and handover works taken through to practical completion.
Refurbishment and reactive repairs phased around service and event calendars.
Fabric, roofing, drainage and external works across multi unit estates.
One subcontractor for building works across your portfolio, reported for client packs.
Trusted by
Recent work
A selection of recent commercial building projects delivered across the UK, from office and washroom fit outs to entrance works, safety installations and external improvements.
Civils
Trenching project for new EV charging bays, including excavation, cable routes, duct installation, bedding, backfilling, reinstatement, electrical infrastructure preparation, surface repairs and coordination for future charging point installations.
Civils
Trench excavation and installation of new underground ducting, including ground preparation, bedding, duct positioning, alignment, protection, temporary safety measures, backfilling preparation and reinstatement works.
Project preparation and excavation works for the construction of an overflow car park at this golf club, including site clearance, earthworks, ground levelling and formation preparation, to extend car park facilities for members and support future growth of the club.
Civils
Completed comprehensive concrete works to this petrol station forecourt, including excavation, ground preparation, reinforcement, new concrete slabs, jointing, drainage integration, finishing, curing and reinstatement.
Civils
Installation complete of an ACO channel drainage system within a tarmac surface, providing effective surface water management, improved drainage performance and a durable finish suitable for commercial vehicle areas.
Civils
Installation of stainless steel protective bollards and electrical utility equipment within a landscaped verge, providing secure cable protection, improved site safety, and a clean durable finish alongside block paving, ready for EV install.
Coverage
We mobilise nationwide through our in house regional teams, giving you the capability to deliver building works consistently, wherever the property is located.
For clients managing large or geographically dispersed portfolios, this removes the complexity of coordinating multiple contractors across different regions. Instead you have one trusted partner, one point of accountability and one consistent approach across every location.
From a single reactive repair to multi site refurbishment programmes running simultaneously, our teams mobilise the right resources, expertise and support to meet your requirements.
Areas we cover: London and the South East, the South West, the Midlands, the East of England, the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, the North East, Scotland, Wales and Ireland — including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Bristol, Nottingham, Leicester, Newcastle, Southampton, Cardiff, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
FAQs
Groundworks and earthworks, site clearance, excavation and trenching, foundations and substructures, reinforced concrete, drainage and sewers, attenuation and soakaways, roads, car parks and hardstanding, kerbing, block paving, retaining walls, ducting and utility infrastructure, remediation, demolition and temporary works.
Either. We regularly build to a consulting engineer's drawings and specification, and we can also take a design and build approach where you would rather hand the whole thing over. We will flag anything in a drawing that we think will cause a problem on site before we start.
Yes. We CCTV survey existing runs, jet them clear, patch line or replace failed sections, rebuild manholes and raise or replace covers. Reactive drainage call outs run alongside planned works on the same account.
Yes. Excavators, dumpers, rollers, breakers and attachments are ours, operated by directly employed teams. That means we can mobilise quickly and we are not waiting on hire company availability.
Most of our work is on operational sites. We phase the works, segregate the area properly, plan traffic management around deliveries and pedestrians, and work nights or weekends where that is the only way to keep the site running.
Yes. Surveys and quotations are free and carry no obligation. We normally survey within a few working days and return a fixed price against a written scope shortly afterwards.
Setting out records, compaction and material records, drainage test results, concrete records where required, photographs throughout, waste transfer notes and as built information on completion.
Yes, and Ireland. Regional teams cover single sites and national portfolios, including multi site civils programmes delivered simultaneously across several regions.
Send us the location and the scope. We'll survey it for FREE and come back with a fixed no obligation quotation. Or leave a number and we'll call you straight back.
Or call 0203 908 0035 — 24/7, 365 days a year.