Red tarmac driveways in Smethwick

Red tarmac driveway prices in Smethwick

These Smethwick guide prices reflect rates in the West Midlands, in line with our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Red tarmac drive, full dig-out and new sub-base	£75–£115 per m²
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,500–£3,800
Example: 50 m² drive	£3,750–£5,750
Example: 80 m² drive	£6,000–£9,200

As a 2026 guide in Smethwick, red tarmac driveway work runs at about £75–£115 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,500–£3,800. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Smethwick: the local details

Smethwick at a glance. Smethwick is 3 miles from Birmingham, and we survey there as part of West Midlands cover.

Postcodes: B66, B67, B21, B68, B17
Area: West Midlands
Nearest towns: West Bromwich (2 miles), Birmingham (3 miles), Halesowen (5 miles), Wednesbury (5 miles)
Pricing: West Midlands, in line with our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Nearby, we work in West Bromwich, Birmingham, Halesowen, Wednesbury, Dudley.

What the price covers

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.

Black AC 20 binder course, about 50–60 mm
Red pigmented surface course, about 20–30 mm
Contrasting block or kerb border as edge restraint
Colour sample discussed before ordering
Falls and drainage set as for any new drive

Planning and kerb rules for Smethwick

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).

Layer by layer

Smethwick: common questions

Do I need permission for a red tarmac driveway in Smethwick?

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).

Which Smethwick postcodes do you cover?

We cover Smethwick including B66, B67, B21, B68, B17, and nearby West Bromwich, Birmingham, Halesowen.

Is the survey in Smethwick free?

Yes for new surfacing such as drives, paths, private roads and car parks. Small repairs are often priced from photos; if a visit is needed for a repair-only job, we tell you any charge first.

Red tarmac driveway cost in Smethwick: what should I budget?

As a 2026 guide in Smethwick, red tarmac driveway work runs at about £75–£115 per m² including VAT, so a 30 m² drive is roughly £2,500–£3,800. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Other work in Smethwick

Tell us what you have in mind for Smethwick and we'll book a survey and put the specification in writing.