Permeable tarmac driveways in Northamptonshire

How much does a permeable tarmac driveway cost in Northamptonshire?

Rates in Northamptonshire follow the East Midlands, about 2% below our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Porous asphalt drive on a permeable stone base	£78–£122 per m²
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,600–£4,050
Example: 50 m² drive	£3,900–£6,100
Example: 80 m² drive	£6,250–£9,800

Towns we cover in Northamptonshire

Postcode areas: NN.

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
Overflow to a soakaway or border on slow-draining ground

Rules in Northamptonshire

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).