Tar and chip driveways in Bow

Tar and chip driveway prices in Bow

Local guide rates for Bow (London, about 20% above our UK midpoint):

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Tar and chip drive with a new sub-base	£54–£90 per m²
Example: 50 m² drive	£2,700–£4,500
Example: 100 m² drive	£5,400–£9,000
Example: 200 m² drive	£10,250–£17,100

As a 2026 guide in Bow, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £54–£90 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² drive is roughly £2,700–£4,500. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

What is included in 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
Chippings spread straight onto the binder
Rolled to bed the stones in
Second coat where a double dressing is specified

Bow: the local details

What applies in Bow. We cover Bow as part of our regular Greater London rounds.

Postcodes: E3, E14, E9, E1, E1W
Area: Greater London
Nearest towns: Stratford (1 mile), Canning Town (2 miles), Leytonstone (3 miles), Greenwich (3 miles)
Pricing: London, about 20% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Close to Bow: Stratford, Canning Town, Leytonstone, Greenwich, Islington.

Planning and kerb rules for Bow

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).

How it is built

Questions about tar and chip driveways in Bow

How long does a tar and chip driveway take in Bow?

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

Is the survey in Bow 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.

Do you work in my part of Bow?

We cover Bow including E3, E14, E9, E1, E1W, and nearby Stratford, Canning Town, Leytonstone.

Are there planning or highway rules in Bow?

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).

More we do in Bow

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