Driveways and paths

Permeable tarmac driveways in Merseyside

Across in Merseyside, we cover 20 towns for permeable tarmac driveways, including Liverpool, Birkenhead and St Helens.

MERSEYSIDE GUIDE£78–£121 per m² inc VAT
Porous asphalt driveway draining after rain with no standing water, typical of permeable tarmac driveway work

How much does a permeable tarmac driveway cost in Merseyside?

Rates in Merseyside follow the North West, about 3% below our UK midpoint.

ItemGuide price (inc VAT)
Porous asphalt drive on a permeable stone base£78–£121 per m²
Example: 30 m² drive£2,550–£4,000
Example: 50 m² drive£3,900–£6,050
Example: 80 m² drive£6,200–£9,700

Towns we cover in Merseyside

Postcode areas: CH, L, PR, WA.

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
  • Open-graded permeable sub-base, often Type 3 or 4/20 stone
  • Porous asphalt binder and surface courses
  • Edge restraint that does not block the flow

Rules in Merseyside

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. If the job needs a dropped kerb, the highway authority (the county or unitary council) approves it before any work on the footway.

How it is built

Surface courseporous asphalt, open-gradedBinder courseporous asphalt baseStorage layeropen-graded Type 3 or 4/20 stone, depth to suitFormationgeotextile on the subsoilINDICATIVE CROSS-SECTION · NOT TO SCALE

Permeable tarmac driveways in Merseyside: questions

How much does a permeable tarmac driveway cost in Merseyside?

As a 2026 guide, about £78–£121 per m² inc VAT in Merseyside. The survey confirms a fixed price.

Which towns in Merseyside do you cover?

Liverpool, Birkenhead, St Helens, Southport, Wallasey, Bootle, Bebington, Huyton and more.

How long does a permeable tarmac driveway take?

Usually 3–5 working days.

Does porous asphalt work on clay soil?

It can, but clay drains slowly, so the stone base is made deeper to store water and may need an overflow to a soakaway or border. We check how the ground drains before recommending it.

Other services in Merseyside

Free survey for new surfacing

Get a written tarmac quote

Send a postcode and a rough size and we'll arrange a survey. Every quote lists the layers, edging, drainage and VAT.

  • Surface courseDEPTH + MIX
  • Binder courseDEPTH + MIX
  • Sub-baseDEPTH + MATERIAL
  • Edges, drainage, VATITEMISED
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