New tarmac driveways in Brent

How much should I budget in Brent?

Guide prices below are for Brent, adjusted for London, where surfacing rates run 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: 30 m² drive	£2,400–£3,750
Example: 50 m² drive	£3,600–£5,700
Example: 80 m² drive	£5,750–£9,100

As a 2026 guide in Brent, new tarmac driveway work runs at about £72–£114 per m² including VAT, so a 80 m² drive is roughly £5,750–£9,100. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Rules that apply in Brent

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.

What we do on a new tarmac driveway

A new tarmac driveway is built from the ground up: the old surface and soil are dug out, a compacted stone sub-base is laid, then a hot binder course and a finer surface course are spread and rolled, and the edges are held by kerbs or blocks.

Break out and remove the old surface and spoil
Dig to formation level, usually around 230–250 mm below finished height
Geotextile membrane where the ground is soft or clay
MOT Type 1 sub-base laid and compacted in layers, about 150 mm
Binder course (AC 20 dense), about 50–60 mm, laid hot and rolled

Where we work in and around Brent

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

Postcodes: HA0, HA9
Area: Greater London
Nearest towns: Harrow (2 miles), Greenford (3 miles), Northolt (3 miles), Acton (3 miles)
Pricing: London, about 20% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

The same service is available in Harrow, Greenford, Northolt, Acton, Willesden.

The build-up we price

Your questions answered

How quickly can work start in Brent?

Usually 2–4 working days for a typical drive, longer with drainage or a dropped kerb. We book Brent surveys alongside other jobs in Greater London, and give you dates once the specification is agreed.

Are there planning or highway rules in Brent?

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).

New tarmac driveway cost in Brent: what should I budget?

As a 2026 guide in Brent, new tarmac driveway work runs at about £72–£114 per m² including VAT, so a 80 m² drive is roughly £5,750–£9,100. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Which Brent postcodes do you cover?

We cover Brent including HA0, HA9, and nearby Harrow, Greenford, Northolt.

Also in Brent

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