Tar and chip driveways in Holywood

What does a tar and chip driveway cost in Holywood?

Guide prices below are for Holywood, adjusted for Northern Ireland, where surfacing rates run about 12% below our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Tar and chip drive with a new sub-base	£40–£66 per m²
Example: 50 m² drive	£2,000–£3,300
Example: 100 m² drive	£3,950–£6,600
Example: 200 m² drive	£7,500–£12,550

As a 2026 guide in Holywood, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £40–£66 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² drive is roughly £2,000–£3,300. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Holywood: the local details

The key facts for Holywood. Smaller towns such as Holywood are surveyed alongside nearby jobs in County Down.

Postcodes: BT18
Area: County Down
Nearest towns: Dundonald (3 miles), Newtownabbey (4 miles), Belfast (5 miles), Castlereagh (5 miles)
Pricing: Northern Ireland, about 12% below our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: DfI Roads

Nearby, we work in Dundonald, Newtownabbey, Belfast, Castlereagh, Carrickfergus.

Rules that apply in Holywood

In Northern Ireland, the Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015 allows a hard surface between the front of a house and a road without permission if it is porous or drains to a porous area within the property, once it exceeds 5 m². Listed buildings and some access changes need permission. Any new or altered vehicle access onto a public road needs approval from DfI Roads, not the council.

What we do on a tar and chip driveway

Tar and chip, also called surface dressing, is a layer of bitumen sprayed onto a prepared base and immediately covered with stone chippings, which are rolled in so the surface looks like gravel but behaves like a bound drive.

Edges set with kerbs, setts or cobbles
Hot bitumen or emulsion sprayed evenly
Rolled to bed the stones in
Loose surplus chippings swept up after a few days
Second coat where a double dressing is specified

Questions about tar and chip driveways in Holywood

Do I need permission for a tar and chip driveway in Holywood?

In Northern Ireland, more than 5 m² of hard surface in front of a house should be porous or drain to a porous area within the property; DfI Roads approves dropped kerbs. Dropped kerbs are approved by DfI Roads.

Tar and chip driveway cost in Holywood: what should I budget?

As a 2026 guide in Holywood, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £40–£66 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² drive is roughly £2,000–£3,300. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Do you cover all of Holywood?

We cover Holywood including BT18, and nearby Dundonald, Newtownabbey, Belfast.

How quickly can work start in Holywood?

Often 1–3 days depending on base work. We book Holywood surveys alongside other jobs in County Down, and give you dates once the specification is agreed.

More we do in Holywood

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