Front garden to tarmac driveway in Camden Town

Front garden driveway conversion prices in Camden Town

These Camden Town guide prices reflect rates in London, about 20% above our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
New black tarmac drive, full dig-out and new sub-base	£72–£114 per m²
Example: 20 m² drive	£1,600–£2,500
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,400–£3,750
Example: 45 m² drive	£3,250–£5,150

As a 2026 guide in Camden Town, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £72–£114 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,400–£3,750. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Camden Town: the local details

What applies in Camden Town. Camden Town is one of the bigger places we cover in Greater London, so survey slots come round regularly.

Postcodes: NW1, NW1W, NW5, N1C, WC1E, W1T, NW8, W1W
Area: Greater London
Nearest towns: Holloway (1 mile), Islington (2 miles), Highbury (2 miles), Kilburn (2 miles)
Pricing: London, about 20% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Nearby, we work in Holloway, Islington, Highbury, Kilburn, Westminster.

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
Sub-base and two tarmac courses, or porous asphalt
Kerbs or blocks as edge restraint
Water directed to a border, soakaway or channel

Rules that apply in Camden Town

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. A vehicle crossing over the footway is a separate approval, from the highway authority (the county or unitary council).

Your questions answered

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

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).

Front garden driveway conversion cost in Camden Town: what should I budget?

As a 2026 guide in Camden Town, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £72–£114 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,400–£3,750. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

How long does a front garden driveway conversion take in Camden Town?

Usually 2–4 working days, after the kerb approval. We book Camden Town surveys alongside other jobs in Greater London, and give you dates once the specification is agreed.

Which Camden Town postcodes do you cover?

We cover Camden Town including NW1, NW1W, NW5, N1C, WC1E, W1T, and nearby Holloway, Islington, Highbury.

Other work in Camden Town

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