Front garden to tarmac driveway in Portslade

How much should I budget in Portslade?

For Portslade, we apply the South East rate, about 10% above our UK midpoint. Your survey turns these ranges into a fixed price.

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 Portslade, 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.

Covering Portslade

Portslade at a glance. Smaller towns such as Portslade are surveyed alongside nearby jobs in East Sussex.

Postcodes: BN41, BN42, BN45
Area: East Sussex
Nearest towns: Hove (2 miles), Shoreham-by-Sea (3 miles), Brighton (3 miles), Lancing (5 miles)
Pricing: South East, about 10% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Nearby, we work in Hove, Shoreham-by-Sea, Brighton, Lancing, Worthing.

How it is built

Do I need permission in Portslade?

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).

What we do on a front garden driveway conversion

Turning a lawn or front garden into off-road parking: dig, base, tarmac, kerb crossing and planting.

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

Portslade: common questions

Will someone visit before I get a fixed price in Portslade?

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 I need permission for a front garden driveway conversion in Portslade?

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).

Which Portslade postcodes do you cover?

We cover Portslade including BN41, BN42, BN45, and nearby Hove, Shoreham-by-Sea, Brighton.

How much does a front garden driveway conversion cost in Portslade?

As a 2026 guide in Portslade, 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. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Other work in Portslade

Send us a postcode, a rough size and a photo or two, and we'll come back with survey dates for Portslade.