Permeable tarmac driveways in South Shields

Permeable tarmac driveway prices in South Shields

Local guide rates for South Shields (the North East, about 7% below our UK midpoint):

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Porous asphalt drive on a permeable stone base	£74–£116 per m²
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,450–£3,850
Example: 50 m² drive	£3,700–£5,800
Example: 80 m² drive	£5,950–£9,300

As a 2026 guide in South Shields, permeable tarmac driveway work runs at about £74–£116 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² drive is roughly £3,700–£5,800. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Where we work in and around South Shields

The key facts for South Shields. South Shields is one of the bigger places we cover in Tyne and Wear, so survey slots come round regularly.

Postcodes: NE33, NE34
Area: Tyne and Wear
Nearest towns: Tynemouth (1 mile), North Shields (1 mile), Jarrow (2 miles), Whitley Bay (3 miles)
Pricing: North East, about 7% below our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Close to South Shields: Tynemouth, North Shields, Jarrow, Whitley Bay, Hebburn.

Do I need permission in South Shields?

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?
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

Questions about permeable tarmac driveways in South Shields

Do you work in my part of South Shields?

We cover South Shields including NE33, NE34, and nearby Tynemouth, North Shields, Jarrow.

What is the price of a permeable tarmac driveway in South Shields?

As a 2026 guide in South Shields, permeable tarmac driveway work runs at about £74–£116 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² drive is roughly £3,700–£5,800. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

How quickly can work start in South Shields?

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

Are there planning or highway rules in South Shields?

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).

Also in South Shields

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