Tar and chip driveways in Derby

How much should I budget in Derby?

Guide prices below are for Derby, adjusted for the East Midlands, where surfacing rates run about 2% below our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Tar and chip drive with a new sub-base	£44–£74 per m²
Example: 50 m² drive	£2,200–£3,700
Example: 100 m² drive	£4,400–£7,350
Example: 200 m² drive	£8,400–£13,950

As a 2026 guide in Derby, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £44–£74 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² drive is roughly £2,200–£3,700. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

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.

Base prepared: new MOT Type 1 sub-base, or an existing sound tarmac or stone base
Edges set with kerbs, setts or cobbles
Chippings spread straight onto the binder
Loose surplus chippings swept up after a few days
Second coat where a double dressing is specified

Planning and kerb rules for Derby

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).

Where we work in and around Derby

The key facts for Derby. We cover Derby as part of our regular Derbyshire rounds.

Postcodes: DE1, DE22, DE23, DE21, DE24, DE3, DE73
Area: Derbyshire
Nearest towns: Belper (7 miles), Ilkeston (8 miles), Heanor (8 miles), Ripley (8 miles)
Pricing: East Midlands, about 2% below our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Close to Derby: Belper, Ilkeston, Heanor, Ripley, Long Eaton.

The build-up we price

Your questions answered

Are there planning or highway rules in Derby?

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).

What is the price of a tar and chip driveway in Derby?

As a 2026 guide in Derby, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £44–£74 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² drive is roughly £2,200–£3,700. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Can I get a free survey in Derby?

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.

Which Derby postcodes do you cover?

We cover Derby including DE1, DE22, DE23, DE21, DE24, DE3, and nearby Belper, Ilkeston, Heanor.

Also in Derby

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