Permeable tarmac driveways in the Scottish Borders

How much does a permeable tarmac driveway cost in the Scottish Borders?

Rates in the Scottish Borders follow Scotland, 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 the Scottish Borders

Postcode areas: EH, TD.

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 the Scottish Borders

In Scotland, permitted development allows a hard surface between a house and a road only if it is porous or the water drains to a porous area within the property. Unlike England there is no 5 m² allowance, so it applies to any size. Conservation areas and the grounds of listed buildings have extra restrictions. The council, as roads authority, controls any new or widened access across a footway.