Front garden to tarmac driveway in Peacehaven

How much should I budget in Peacehaven?

Local guide rates for Peacehaven (the South East, about 10% above our UK midpoint):

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
New black tarmac drive, full dig-out and new sub-base	£66–£105 per m²
Example: 20 m² drive	£1,450–£2,300
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,200–£3,450
Example: 45 m² drive	£2,950–£4,700

As a 2026 guide in Peacehaven, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £66–£105 per m² including VAT, so a 45 m² drive is roughly £2,950–£4,700. 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.

Check the space: length, width and gate posts for a car
Highway authority dropped kerb application guided or handled for you
Lawn, hedge roots and topsoil removed
Sub-base and two tarmac courses, or porous asphalt
Kerbs or blocks as edge restraint

Where we work in and around Peacehaven

Survey cover and pricing for Peacehaven. We cover Peacehaven by grouping surveys with nearby East Sussex jobs; Brighton is 6 miles away.

Postcodes: BN10, BN9
Area: East Sussex
Nearest towns: Rottingdean (3 miles), Seaford (5 miles), Lewes (6 miles), Brighton (6 miles)
Pricing: South East, about 10% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Close to Peacehaven: Rottingdean, Seaford, Lewes, Brighton, Hove.

Do I need permission in Peacehaven?

In England, householder permitted development (Class F of the 2015 General Permitted Development Order) lets you lay a hard surface in front of a house without planning permission if it is porous, or if the rainwater is directed to a permeable area within the property. If the area is more than 5 m² and neither applies, you need permission. Standard dense tarmac is not porous, so a dense tarmac drive needs a lawn, border, channel to a soakaway or other permeable route for its water. Any new or widened crossing over the pavement needs approval from the highway authority (the county or unitary council).

Peacehaven: common questions

Are there planning or highway rules in Peacehaven?

In England, a new hard surface over 5 m² in front of a house needs planning permission unless it is porous or drains to a lawn, border or soakaway within the property. Dropped kerbs are approved by the highway authority (the county or unitary council).

How quickly can work start in Peacehaven?

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

Can I get a free survey in Peacehaven?

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.

Which Peacehaven postcodes do you cover?

We cover Peacehaven including BN10, BN9, and nearby Rottingdean, Seaford, Lewes.

Also in Peacehaven

Tell us what you have in mind for Peacehaven and we'll book a survey and put the specification in writing.