Permeable tarmac driveways in Melksham

How much should I budget in Melksham?

Guide prices below are for Melksham, adjusted for the South West, where surfacing rates run about 3% above our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Porous asphalt drive on a permeable stone base	£82–£129 per m²
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,700–£4,250
Example: 50 m² drive	£4,100–£6,450
Example: 80 m² drive	£6,600–£10,300

As a 2026 guide in Melksham, permeable tarmac driveway work runs at about £82–£129 per m² including VAT, so a 80 m² drive is roughly £6,600–£10,300. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Melksham: the local details

The key facts for Melksham. We cover Melksham by grouping surveys with nearby Wiltshire jobs; Swindon is 20 miles away.

Postcodes: SN12
Area: Wiltshire
Nearest towns: Trowbridge (5 miles), Chippenham (6 miles), Devizes (6 miles), Calne (7 miles)
Pricing: South West, about 3% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Nearby, we work in Trowbridge, Chippenham, Devizes, Calne, Westbury.

Layer by layer

Planning and kerb rules for Melksham

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).

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?
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
Edge restraint that does not block the flow

Melksham: common questions

Permeable tarmac driveway cost in Melksham: what should I budget?

As a 2026 guide in Melksham, permeable tarmac driveway work runs at about £82–£129 per m² including VAT, so a 80 m² drive is roughly £6,600–£10,300. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Do you cover all of Melksham?

We cover Melksham including SN12, and nearby Trowbridge, Chippenham, Devizes.

How long will the work take at my Melksham property?

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

Do I need permission for a permeable tarmac driveway in Melksham?

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 Melksham

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