Front garden to tarmac driveway in Holywood

Front garden driveway conversion prices in Holywood

These Holywood guide prices reflect rates in Northern Ireland, about 12% below our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
New black tarmac drive, full dig-out and new sub-base	£53–£84 per m²
Example: 20 m² drive	£1,150–£1,850
Example: 30 m² drive	£1,750–£2,750
Example: 45 m² drive	£2,400–£3,750

As a 2026 guide in Holywood, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £53–£84 per m² including VAT, so a 20 m² drive is roughly £1,150–£1,850. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

What is included in a front garden driveway conversion?

A front garden conversion turns lawn or planting into a parking space: the ground is excavated, a stone sub-base laid, tarmac surfaced on top, and a lowered kerb arranged so a car can cross the pavement legally.

Highway authority dropped kerb application guided or handled for you
Lawn, hedge roots and topsoil removed
Kerbs or blocks as edge restraint
Water directed to a border, soakaway or channel
A planted strip kept where it helps drainage and looks

Layer by layer

Covering Holywood

Survey cover and pricing for Holywood. Holywood is covered on our County Down rounds, 6 miles from Bangor, County Down.

Postcodes: BT18
Area: County Down
Nearest towns: Dundonald (3 miles), Newtownabbey (4 miles), Belfast (5 miles), Castlereagh (5 miles)
Pricing: Northern Ireland, about 12% below our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: DfI Roads

Close to Holywood: Dundonald, Newtownabbey, Belfast, Castlereagh, Carrickfergus.

Rules that apply in Holywood

In Northern Ireland, the Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015 allows a hard surface between the front of a house and a road without permission if it is porous or drains to a porous area within the property, once it exceeds 5 m². Listed buildings and some access changes need permission. Any new or altered vehicle access onto a public road needs approval from DfI Roads, not the council.

Your questions answered

Do I need permission for a front garden driveway conversion in Holywood?

In Northern Ireland, more than 5 m² of hard surface in front of a house should be porous or drain to a porous area within the property; DfI Roads approves dropped kerbs. Dropped kerbs are approved by DfI Roads.

Is the survey in Holywood free?

Yes for new surfacing such as drives, paths, private roads and car parks. Small repairs are often priced from photos; if a visit is needed for a repair-only job, we tell you any charge first.

Do you cover all of Holywood?

We cover Holywood including BT18, and nearby Dundonald, Newtownabbey, Belfast.

How quickly can work start in Holywood?

Usually 2–4 working days, after the kerb approval. We book Holywood surveys alongside other jobs in County Down, and give you dates once the specification is agreed.

More we do in Holywood

Questions about front garden driveway conversions in Holywood? Call, WhatsApp or use the form, and we'll talk it through.