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How much does a tarmac driveway cost in Cheshire?
The Federation of Master Builders driveway guide of 21 May 2026 says a tarmac driveway costs around £25 per square metre [S5]. Prices vary by the job and the location and are not a Cheshire price, and QuoteZila does not set prices.
Last reviewed:Two black surfaces, two different permissions
Cheshire households often say "tarmac" for a hot-laid asphalt drive. GOV.UK's front-garden guidance splits that idea in two. Porous asphalt is one of the permeable examples that can be laid at any size without planning permission, along with gravel and permeable concrete block paving, or you can send the rain to a lawn or border to drain naturally [S1]. Traditional impermeable surfacing is the other case: if the area is more than 5 square metres and the water is not taken to a permeable area, planning permission is required [S1]. The Federation of Master Builders driveway guide of 21 May 2026 says a tarmac driveway costs around £25 per square metre, and its table lists tarmac from £25 per square metre [S5]. It is not a Cheshire price. Prices vary by the job and the location, and QuoteZila does not set prices. The wider driveway guide looks across surfaces. Here the question is what "tarmac" means on your quote.
The Planning Portal uses the same split and adds that the rules cover the front garden of a house, not a flat, and not every patio at the back [S2]. A condition or an Article 4 direction can still remove the right [S2]. If the address is in the east of the county, ask Cheshire East before you treat a sketch as permitted.
Why the laying firm is part of the specification
GOV.UK says hard permeable surfaces, including porous asphalt, need a knowledgeable contractor, and that porous asphalt in particular should be provided and laid by a specialist company [S1]. Ask for that company's name. A price from a crew that cannot say whether the mix is porous is not a price you can compare with a specialist's.
The same guidance says casual callers who knock and offer to lay a drive with what they have on the lorry should not be used to build permeable drives [S1]. Citizens Advice, separately, says that if someone has knocked at the door you should check what they tell you, and ring the business to check it exists [S3].
The layers you cannot see
Both permeable and impermeable drives need a sub-base so cars do not rut the ground [S1]. Conventional hardcore or MOT Type 1 contains fine material that stops water passing easily [S1]. Permeable construction uses open-graded stone, and the guidance gives Type 3 and 4/20 as examples, compacted so the drive is firm but the voids remain [S1]. Ask which material, and how deep. The guidance describes a construction of approximately 200mm to 250mm below the surface in a typical permeable drive, with a geotextile over the soil and a layer of sub-base [S1]. Treat that as the guidance's description, not as a Cheshire standard, and ask your firm what your ground needs.
Where the drive slopes toward the house, the guidance says use a channel so water does not run at the wall, and do not send water onto a neighbour's property [S1]. A slope steeper than 1 in 20 may not suit permeable surfacing; an impermeable surface with water taken to a soakaway or, as a last resort, the roof-water drains is the case the guidance then describes [S1].
Edging stops the asphalt spreading. Ask for it as a line. Manhole covers that need lifting are another line.
Crossing the pavement
The Planning Portal says a dropped kerb is the lowered access in the pavement, that you need one if you will drive across the pavement, and that it is illegal to do so without one [S2]. The application goes to the local authority [S2]. GOV.UK's guidance also says a new access across the footway needs the council's permission to drop the kerbs, partly to protect pipes under the pavement [S1]. Ask each firm whether they handle that application or whether the drive price stops at your boundary.
Quote lines for asphalt
| Line | What you are checking |
|---|---|
| Porous system or traditional asphalt | The planning test uses that split [S1] |
| Area in square metres | Front garden rules bite above 5 square metres if the surface is impermeable and undrained [S1] |
| Digging out and waste | The old drive has to go somewhere |
| Sub-base: Type 1 or an open grade | Water either passes or it does not [S1] |
| Who lays the porous mix | Specialist supply and lay [S1] |
| Edging and ironwork | Stops the surface failing at the sides |
| Where rainwater goes | Lawn, border, or a traditional surface that needs permission [S1] |
| Dropped kerb | Illegal to drive over the pavement without one [S2] |
| VAT | Registration over £90,000 of taxable turnover [S4] |
What to send
- Length and width, marked approximate, and a photo from the house and from the pavement.
- Whether cars already cross a dropped kerb.
- Whether the existing drive ponds in rain.
- The postcode.
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- "Front drive at a semi in Sandbach. We want porous asphalt if that meets the guidance, with an open-graded base. Please name the laying company, state the area, and say whether a dropped kerb application is included. The kerb is already dropped."
- "Traditional tarmac on a drive larger than a parking space, water currently runs to the road. Please say if planning permission is required and do not price the job as porous unless it is."
- "Short drive in Crewe, sloping toward the front door. Please include a channel so water does not reach the house, and describe the base."
Reading asphalt quotes
Citizens Advice says collect at least three written quotes, because a quote is a fixed price and an estimate is a rough guess [S3]. A much lower price may not be the same specification [S3]. Ask to see insurance that lasts until the drive can be used [S3]. If there is a guarantee, ask if it is insurance-backed [S3].
Covers, falls and the day the lorries arrive
Asphalt fails in the details that a "black drive" line never mentions. Manhole covers and gulleys have to be set to the new surface. Ask who adjusts them, and whether the water authority or the household is expected to arrange it. A cover left proud, or buried, is a different finish from one that sits flush. Say where the covers are when you post the job. A photo from the front door is enough.
The fall of the drive decides where rain goes. The permeable guidance does not want water aimed at the house or at a neighbour, and a slope steeper than the guidance's limit may not suit a permeable build [S1]. Ask the firm to say which way the drive falls, and whether they will change that fall. If they will not, ask where the water is supposed to go. A traditional sealed surface that sheds onto the pavement is the case the five-square-metre rule is about [S1]. Do not let a quote assume you already know which case you are in.
Edges against a lawn, a path or the house wall need a restraint or they crumble. Ask what forms that edge. Ask whether the existing concrete edging stays. A quote that mills off an old surface and lays on top of it is not the same as one that digs out. Ask which, because the depth the guidance discusses for a permeable build is irrelevant to a thin overlay, and a thin overlay may be the wrong build for the permission you are relying on [S1].
The day itself has a shape. The specialist the guidance expects for porous asphalt is not a general handyman with a bag of cold lay [S1]. Ask when the material arrives, how long the drive must stay clear of cars, and what happens if it rains that morning. Ask who protects the house wall and the neighbour's fence from splashes. Those questions stop two quotes that both say "tarmac" from being treated as the same specification.
Oil drips, a caravan that sits all winter, and a turning head for a second car are use, not decoration. Mention them. A surface chosen only from a photograph of a dry afternoon can be the wrong one for the way the drive is actually used. Ask the quote to name the product family: porous asphalt, or a traditional sealed layer, and the sub-base that goes with it [S1].
Official pages
QuoteZila is not affiliated with these organisations.
- Permeable front gardens: GOV.UK [S1].
- Planning, including dropped kerbs: Planning Portal [S2].
- Quotes and deposits: Citizens Advice [S3].
- VAT: GOV.UK [S4].
This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.
Where this applies. The 5 square metre test and the porous-asphalt example are England front-garden guidance. They are not a tonne price. A drive that is not in the front garden is outside the sentence the Portal limits to front gardens [S2].
Post a tarmac driveway
Describe the area and the town. Up to five matched local businesses can reply [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
Posting a job is not open yet
See driveways and paving and the wider driveway cost guide. Landscapers may be relevant if the drive is part of the garden. All services.
Questions about tarmac driveways
How much does a tarmac driveway cost?
The Federation of Master Builders driveway guide of 21 May 2026 says a tarmac driveway costs around £25 per square metre, and its table lists tarmac from £25 per square metre. That is not a Cheshire price. Prices vary by the job and the location, and QuoteZila does not set prices. Area, the depth of digging out, porous or traditional asphalt, edging and where the water goes still change the quote. Compare written quotes for the same measured area.
Does tarmac need planning permission?
It depends which tarmac. GOV.UK says a new or replacement driveway of any size can be laid without planning permission if the surface is permeable or porous, and it names porous asphalt as one example, or if water is directed to a lawn or border. If the area is more than 5 square metres and the surface is traditional and impermeable, with nowhere for the water to go, permission is needed. The Planning Portal repeats that split, and says these rules are for the front garden of a house.
Who should lay porous asphalt?
GOV.UK says porous asphalt should be provided and laid by a specialist company. A general quote that does not name the system is not that sentence. Ask for the product and the firm that will lay it.
Do I need a dropped kerb?
If cars will cross a pavement, the Planning Portal says a dropped kerb is required and that it is illegal to drive over the pavement onto your property without one. You apply to the local authority. Ask whether that application is in the driveway price or left with you.
What is under the black surface?
GOV.UK distinguishes a conventional sub-base full of fine material, which it says stops water passing easily, from open-graded material such as Type 3 or 4/20 used under permeable surfaces. Ask which one is in your quote. The black top does not tell you.
How large a deposit?
Citizens Advice says not to agree more than 25% if a deposit cannot be avoided, and to get a receipt. Some traders charge to prepare a quote: ask before they visit.
Does QuoteZila check driveway firms?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
Can I post a tarmac driveway?
Yes. Give the approximate area, say porous or traditional if you know, and add a Cheshire postcode. Up to five matched local businesses can quote. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses.
Related reading
- Driveway cost: surfaces compared, still without a price list
- Fencing cost: if the boundary is a fence beside the drive
- Driveways and paving
- All cost guides
Part of Cost guides. All services
Related trades
Cost guides
Related pages
- Block Paving: What a Square Metre Omits. Block paving is listed from £25 per square metre in the Federation of Master Builders guide of 21 May 2026. QuoteZila does not set prices.
- Concrete Driveway Cost in Cheshire: What to Ask. Concrete on a Cheshire front garden can be a traditional slab or a permeable system. The planning test follows that split. Ask the quote which build it is.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila pricing line.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ.
- S1: Guidance on the permeable surfacing of front gardens, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permeable-surfacing-of-front-gardens-guidance/guidance-on-the-permeable-surfacing-of-front-gardens
- S2: Planning permission: paving your front garden, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/paving-your-front-garden/planning-permission/
- S3: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
- S4: When to register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat
- S5: Costs for a new driveway in the UK, Federation of Master Builders. Accessed 2026-10-30. https://www.fmb.org.uk/resource/costs-for-a-new-driveway-in-the-uk-what-should-homeowners-budget-for.html