Permeable tarmac driveways in Truro

What does a permeable tarmac driveway cost in Truro?

Guide prices below are for Truro, adjusted for the South West, where surfacing rates run 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

As a 2026 guide in Truro, permeable tarmac driveway work runs at about £82–£129 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,700–£4,250. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Covering Truro

Survey cover and pricing for Truro. Smaller towns such as Truro are surveyed alongside nearby jobs in Cornwall.

Postcodes: TR1, TR4, TR3, TR2
Area: Cornwall
Nearest towns: Falmouth (8 miles), Redruth (8 miles), Newquay (10 miles), Camborne (11 miles)
Pricing: South West, about 3% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

We also cover nearby Falmouth, Redruth, Newquay, Camborne, St Austell.

Rules that apply in Truro

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

What is included in a permeable tarmac driveway?

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
Open-graded permeable sub-base, often Type 3 or 4/20 stone
Porous asphalt binder and surface courses

Questions about permeable tarmac driveways in Truro

How quickly can work start in Truro?

Usually 3–5 working days. We book Truro surveys alongside other jobs in Cornwall, and give you dates once the specification is agreed.

Are there planning or highway rules in Truro?

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).

Which Truro postcodes do you cover?

We cover Truro including TR1, TR4, TR3, TR2, and nearby Falmouth, Redruth, Newquay.

Will someone visit before I get a fixed price in Truro?

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.

More we do in Truro

Ready for a price in Truro? Use the guide price tool or send the form, and we'll arrange a visit.