Tar and chip driveways in Swadlincote

How much should I budget in Swadlincote?

Local guide rates for Swadlincote (the East Midlands, 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 Swadlincote, 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 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
Rolled to bed the stones in
Second coat where a double dressing is specified

Do I need permission in Swadlincote?

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

Where we work in and around Swadlincote

Survey cover and pricing for Swadlincote. We reach Swadlincote on our Derbyshire survey days; Derby is 11 miles away.

Postcodes: DE11, DE12, LE65
Area: Derbyshire
Nearest towns: Burton upon Trent (4 miles), Coalville (9 miles), Derby (11 miles), Tamworth (11 miles)
Pricing: East Midlands, about 2% below our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

We also cover nearby Burton upon Trent, Coalville, Derby, Tamworth, Long Eaton.

How it is built

Your questions answered

Are there planning or highway rules in Swadlincote?

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).

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

As a 2026 guide in Swadlincote, 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.

How long will the work take at my Swadlincote property?

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

Which Swadlincote postcodes do you cover?

We cover Swadlincote including DE11, DE12, LE65, and nearby Burton upon Trent, Coalville, Derby.

Also in Swadlincote

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