Tar and chip driveways in Fareham

How much should I budget in Fareham?

For Fareham, we apply the South East rate, about 10% above our UK midpoint. Your survey turns these ranges into a fixed price.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Tar and chip drive with a new sub-base	£50–£82 per m²
Example: 50 m² drive	£2,500–£4,100
Example: 100 m² drive	£4,950–£8,250
Example: 200 m² drive	£9,400–£15,700

As a 2026 guide in Fareham, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £50–£82 per m² including VAT, so a 100 m² drive is roughly £4,950–£8,250. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Where we work in and around Fareham

What applies in Fareham. Fareham is 10 miles from Southampton, and we survey there as part of Hampshire cover.

Postcodes: PO16, PO14, PO15, PO17
Area: Hampshire
Nearest towns: Gosport (4 miles), Portsmouth (5 miles), Hedge End (7 miles), Waterlooville (7 miles)
Pricing: South East, about 10% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

We also cover nearby Gosport, Portsmouth, Hedge End, Waterlooville, Havant.

Rules that apply in Fareham

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).

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
Rolled to bed the stones in
Loose surplus chippings swept up after a few days
Second coat where a double dressing is specified

Your questions answered

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

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

Do you work in my part of Fareham?

We cover Fareham including PO16, PO14, PO15, PO17, and nearby Gosport, Portsmouth, Hedge End.

What approvals apply in Fareham?

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).

Is the survey in Fareham 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.

Also in Fareham

Tell us what you have in mind for Fareham and we'll book a survey and put the specification in writing.