Tar and chip driveways in Greater Manchester

How much does a tar and chip driveway cost in Greater Manchester?

Rates in Greater Manchester follow the North West, about 3% below our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Tar and chip drive with a new sub-base	£44–£73 per m²
Example: 50 m² drive	£2,200–£3,650
Example: 100 m² drive	£4,350–£7,300
Example: 200 m² drive	£8,300–£13,800

Towns we cover in Greater Manchester

Postcode areas: BL, M, OL, SK, WA, WN.

What is included?

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
Hot bitumen or emulsion sprayed evenly
Chippings spread straight onto the binder
Rolled to bed the stones in
Loose surplus chippings swept up after a few days
Second coat where a double dressing is specified

Rules in Greater Manchester

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. Any new or widened crossing over the pavement needs approval from the highway authority (the county or unitary council).

How it is built