Front garden to tarmac driveway in Stevenage

How much should I budget in Stevenage?

For Stevenage, we apply the East of England rate, about 5% 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	£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 Stevenage, 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.

Covering Stevenage

What applies in Stevenage. Stevenage is one of the bigger places we cover in Hertfordshire, so survey slots come round regularly.

Postcodes: SG1, SG2, SG3
Area: Hertfordshire
Nearest towns: Hitchin (5 miles), Letchworth Garden City (5 miles), Welwyn Garden City (7 miles), Harpenden (9 miles)
Pricing: East of England, about 5% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

The same service is available in Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City, Welwyn Garden City, Harpenden, Hertford.

Rules that apply in Stevenage

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 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.

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

Your questions answered

Are there planning or highway rules in Stevenage?

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 Stevenage 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.

How quickly can work start in Stevenage?

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

What is the price of a front garden driveway conversion in Stevenage?

As a 2026 guide in Stevenage, 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.

More we do in Stevenage

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