Permeable tarmac driveways in Cornwall

How much does a permeable tarmac driveway cost in Cornwall?

Rates in Cornwall follow the South West, about 3% above our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Porous asphalt drive on a permeable stone base	£82–£129 per m²
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,700–£4,250
Example: 50 m² drive	£4,100–£6,450
Example: 80 m² drive	£6,600–£10,300

Towns we cover in Cornwall

Postcode areas: PL, TR.

What is included?

A permeable tarmac drive uses porous asphalt, a mix with fewer fine particles so water passes through the gaps, laid on an open-graded stone base that stores the rain and lets it soak into the ground.

Ground check: how fast does the soil drain?
Dig out deeper than a standard drive to fit the storage layer
Geotextile separating layer on the formation
Porous asphalt binder and surface courses
Overflow to a soakaway or border on slow-draining ground
Edge restraint that does not block the flow

Rules in Cornwall

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).

How it is built