Front garden to tarmac driveway in St Albans

Front garden driveway conversion prices in St Albans

Guide prices below are for St Albans, adjusted for the East of England, where surfacing rates run about 5% above our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
New black tarmac drive, full dig-out and new sub-base	£63–£100 per m²
Example: 20 m² drive	£1,400–£2,200
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,100–£3,300
Example: 45 m² drive	£2,850–£4,500

As a 2026 guide in St Albans, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £63–£100 per m² including VAT, so a 45 m² drive is roughly £2,850–£4,500. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Rules that apply in St Albans

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).

Layer by layer

St Albans: the local details

Survey cover and pricing for St Albans. We cover St Albans as part of our regular Hertfordshire rounds.

Postcodes: AL1, AL2, AL4
Area: Hertfordshire
Nearest towns: Harpenden (5 miles), Hatfield (5 miles), Hemel Hempstead (5 miles), Welwyn Garden City (6 miles)
Pricing: East of England, about 5% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

We also cover nearby Harpenden, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Welwyn Garden City, Borehamwood.

What the price covers

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

Your questions answered

Front garden driveway conversion cost in St Albans: what should I budget?

As a 2026 guide in St Albans, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £63–£100 per m² including VAT, so a 45 m² drive is roughly £2,850–£4,500. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

What approvals apply in St Albans?

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).

Is the survey in St Albans 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 work in my part of St Albans?

We cover St Albans including AL1, AL2, AL4, and nearby Harpenden, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead.

More we do in St Albans

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