Tar and chip driveways in Hythe

How much should I budget in Hythe?

Guide prices below are for Hythe, adjusted for the South East, where surfacing rates run about 10% above our UK midpoint.

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 Hythe, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £50–£82 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² drive is roughly £2,500–£4,100. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Covering Hythe

The key facts for Hythe. We cover Hythe by grouping surveys with nearby Hampshire jobs; Southampton is 3 miles away.

Postcodes: SO45
Area: Hampshire
Nearest towns: Southampton (3 miles), Totton (6 miles), Hedge End (6 miles), Eastleigh (8 miles)
Pricing: South East, about 10% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

We also cover nearby Southampton, Totton, Hedge End, Eastleigh, Bishopstoke.

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
Chippings spread straight onto the binder
Rolled to bed the stones in
Loose surplus chippings swept up after a few days

Rules that apply in Hythe

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).

Questions about tar and chip driveways in Hythe

Do I need permission for a tar and chip driveway in Hythe?

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).

Which Hythe postcodes do you cover?

We cover Hythe including SO45, and nearby Southampton, Totton, Hedge End.

How long will the work take at my Hythe property?

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

How much does a tar and chip driveway cost in Hythe?

As a 2026 guide in Hythe, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £50–£82 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² drive is roughly £2,500–£4,100. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Other work in Hythe

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