A concrete paving company has set up a new division called Royal Forest Pennant to market Pennant stone from the Forest of Dean as paving.

The parent company are Formpave, who make standard and special concrete block and permeable paving systems - about a million square meters of it a year. Now they have set up Royal Forrest Pennant with a capacity to supply about 25,000m2 of Pennant a year to a niche market.

Commenting on Formpave\'s new move, director Katherine Robinson says: "We have been keen to enter the natural stone market for some time, hoping to offer a unique, traditional Gloucestershire pennant paving. This British stone has been used for hundreds of years to pave cities such as Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Cardiff and London."

They are supplying the stone in random lengths and three standard widths of 300mm, 450mm and 600mm, although smaller sizes can also be supplied if required. It is expected the main demand will be for material 50mm thick, but it will be available in other thicknesses if preferred.

Pennant can be used internally and externally and is being supplied diamond sawn and shot blasted.

Historically, pennant has been used for prestigious projects such as Hampton Court and St Johns and Exeter Colleges at Oxford University, as well as for city paving. More recently it has been laid at Cheltenham Ladies College, Cardiff Memorial Park and Bristol and Gloucester Docks.

Peter Hart at Royal Forest Pennant says Formpave decided to branch out into natural stone because pennant was becoming difficult to source and they could see a niche for it. He says they are hoping to get orders for the end of the year.

For more information call Royal Forest Pennant on Tel: 01594 838683.