Front garden to tarmac driveway in Strood

Front garden driveway conversion prices in Strood

These Strood guide prices reflect rates in 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 Strood, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £66–£105 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,200–£3,450. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

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.

Check the space: length, width and gate posts for a car
Highway authority dropped kerb application guided or handled for you
Sub-base and two tarmac courses, or porous asphalt
Kerbs or blocks as edge restraint
A planted strip kept where it helps drainage and looks

Rules that apply in Strood

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. If the job needs a dropped kerb, the highway authority (the county or unitary council) approves it before any work on the footway.

Where we work in and around Strood

The key facts for Strood. We reach Strood on our Kent survey days; Maidstone is 9 miles away.

Postcodes: ME2, ME6
Area: Kent
Nearest towns: Rochester (1 mile), Chatham (2 miles), Gillingham (3 miles), Gravesend (6 miles)
Pricing: South East, about 10% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Nearby, we work in Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Gravesend, Swanscombe.

Questions about front garden driveway conversions in Strood

Are there planning or highway rules in Strood?

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 Strood: what should I budget?

As a 2026 guide in Strood, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £66–£105 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,200–£3,450. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Which Strood postcodes do you cover?

We cover Strood including ME2, ME6, and nearby Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham.

How long does a front garden driveway conversion take in Strood?

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

Other work in Strood

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