Permeable tarmac driveways in Gravesend

What does a permeable tarmac driveway cost in Gravesend?

For Gravesend, we apply the South East rate, about 10% above our UK midpoint. Your survey turns these ranges into a fixed price.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Porous asphalt drive on a permeable stone base	£88–£138 per m²
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,900–£4,550
Example: 50 m² drive	£4,400–£6,900
Example: 80 m² drive	£7,050–£11,000

As a 2026 guide in Gravesend, permeable tarmac driveway work runs at about £88–£138 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² drive is roughly £4,400–£6,900. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

What we do on 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
Open-graded permeable sub-base, often Type 3 or 4/20 stone
Porous asphalt binder and surface courses
Overflow to a soakaway or border on slow-draining ground

Covering Gravesend

Survey cover and pricing for Gravesend. We reach Gravesend on our Kent survey days; Maidstone is 14 miles away.

Postcodes: DA11, DA12, RM18, DA13
Area: Kent
Nearest towns: Swanscombe (3 miles), Grays (3 miles), Strood (6 miles), South Ockendon (6 miles)
Pricing: South East, about 10% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

We also cover nearby Swanscombe, Grays, Strood, South Ockendon, Stanford-le-Hope.

Do I need permission in Gravesend?

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).

Your questions answered

Are there planning or highway rules in Gravesend?

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).

Is the survey in Gravesend 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.

How long will the work take at my Gravesend property?

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

Do you work in my part of Gravesend?

We cover Gravesend including DA11, DA12, RM18, DA13, and nearby Swanscombe, Grays, Strood.

More we do in Gravesend

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