Tar and chip driveways in Billingham

Tar and chip driveway prices in Billingham

These Billingham guide prices reflect rates in the North East, about 7% below our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Tar and chip drive with a new sub-base	£42–£70 per m²
Example: 50 m² drive	£2,100–£3,500
Example: 100 m² drive	£4,200–£7,000
Example: 200 m² drive	£7,950–£13,250

As a 2026 guide in Billingham, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £42–£70 per m² including VAT, so a 200 m² drive is roughly £7,950–£13,250. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Layer by layer

Do I need permission in Billingham?

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).

Billingham: the local details

The key facts for Billingham. Billingham is 11 miles from Darlington, and we survey there as part of County Durham cover.

Postcodes: TS20, TS23, TS22
Area: County Durham
Nearest towns: Stockton-on-Tees (2 miles), Middlesbrough (2 miles), Thornaby (4 miles), Yarm (6 miles)
Pricing: North East, about 7% below our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Close to Billingham: Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough, Thornaby, Yarm, Hartlepool.

What the price covers

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.

Base prepared: new MOT Type 1 sub-base, or an existing sound tarmac or stone base
Edges set with kerbs, setts or cobbles
Hot bitumen or emulsion sprayed evenly
Loose surplus chippings swept up after a few days
Second coat where a double dressing is specified

Billingham: common questions

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

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 Billingham postcodes do you cover?

We cover Billingham including TS20, TS23, TS22, and nearby Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough, Thornaby.

How long will the work take at my Billingham property?

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

How much does a tar and chip driveway cost in Billingham?

As a 2026 guide in Billingham, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £42–£70 per m² including VAT, so a 200 m² drive is roughly £7,950–£13,250. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

More we do in Billingham

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