Red tarmac driveways in Preston

What does a red tarmac driveway cost in Preston?

These Preston guide prices reflect rates in the North West, about 3% below our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Red tarmac drive, full dig-out and new sub-base	£73–£112 per m²
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,400–£3,700
Example: 50 m² drive	£3,650–£5,600
Example: 80 m² drive	£5,800–£8,900

As a 2026 guide in Preston, red tarmac driveway work runs at about £73–£112 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,400–£3,700. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

What is included in a red tarmac driveway?

Red tarmac is ordinary asphalt with a red pigment, and often red aggregate, in the surface course, laid on the same sub-base and binder course as a black tarmac drive.

Full dig-out and MOT Type 1 sub-base, about 150 mm
Black AC 20 binder course, about 50–60 mm
Red pigmented surface course, about 20–30 mm
Colour sample discussed before ordering
Falls and drainage set as for any new drive

Covering Preston

What applies in Preston. We cover Preston as part of our regular Lancashire rounds.

Postcodes: PR1, PR2, PR11, PR4
Area: Lancashire
Nearest towns: Leyland (5 miles), Chorley (9 miles), Blackburn (9 miles), Darwen (11 miles)
Pricing: North West, about 3% below our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

The same service is available in Leyland, Chorley, Blackburn, Darwen, Lytham St Annes.

Rules that apply in Preston

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

Preston: common questions

What approvals apply in Preston?

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).

How long will the work take at my Preston property?

Usually 2–4 working days. We book Preston surveys alongside other jobs in Lancashire, and give you dates once the specification is agreed.

How much does a red tarmac driveway cost in Preston?

As a 2026 guide in Preston, red tarmac driveway work runs at about £73–£112 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,400–£3,700. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Do you cover all of Preston?

We cover Preston including PR1, PR2, PR11, PR4, and nearby Leyland, Chorley, Blackburn.

Also in Preston

Questions about red tarmac driveways in Preston? Call, WhatsApp or use the form, and we'll talk it through.