Front garden to tarmac driveway in Kettering

What does a front garden driveway conversion cost in Kettering?

Local guide rates for Kettering (the East Midlands, about 2% below our UK midpoint):

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
New black tarmac drive, full dig-out and new sub-base	£59–£93 per m²
Example: 20 m² drive	£1,300–£2,050
Example: 30 m² drive	£1,950–£3,050
Example: 45 m² drive	£2,650–£4,200

As a 2026 guide in Kettering, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £59–£93 per m² including VAT, so a 20 m² drive is roughly £1,300–£2,050. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

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
Kerbs or blocks as edge restraint
Water directed to a border, soakaway or channel
A planted strip kept where it helps drainage and looks

Covering Kettering

Kettering at a glance. We reach Kettering on our Northamptonshire survey days; Northampton is 12 miles away.

Postcodes: NN16, NN14, NN15
Area: Northamptonshire
Nearest towns: Wellingborough (7 miles), Corby (7 miles), Rushden (9 miles), Market Harborough (10 miles)
Pricing: East Midlands, about 2% below our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

The same service is available in Wellingborough, Corby, Rushden, Market Harborough, Northampton.

Do I need permission in Kettering?

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).

Questions about front garden driveway conversions in Kettering

Are there planning or highway rules in Kettering?

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).

How quickly can work start in Kettering?

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

Which Kettering postcodes do you cover?

We cover Kettering including NN16, NN14, NN15, and nearby Wellingborough, Corby, Rushden.

Is the survey in Kettering 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.

Other work in Kettering

Questions about front garden driveway conversions in Kettering? Call, WhatsApp or use the form, and we'll talk it through.