Tar and chip driveways in St Albans

How much should I budget in St Albans?

Guide prices below are for St Albans, adjusted for the East of England, where surfacing rates run about 5% above our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Tar and chip drive with a new sub-base	£47–£79 per m²
Example: 50 m² drive	£2,350–£3,950
Example: 100 m² drive	£4,700–£7,900
Example: 200 m² drive	£9,000–£14,950

As a 2026 guide in St Albans, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £47–£79 per m² including VAT, so a 200 m² drive is roughly £9,000–£14,950. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Layer by layer

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
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

Rules that apply in St Albans

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).

Where we work in and around St Albans

Survey cover and pricing for St Albans. We cover St Albans as part of our regular Hertfordshire rounds.

Postcodes: AL1, AL2, AL4
Area: Hertfordshire
Nearest towns: Harpenden (5 miles), Hatfield (5 miles), Hemel Hempstead (5 miles), Welwyn Garden City (6 miles)
Pricing: East of England, about 5% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Close to St Albans: Harpenden, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Welwyn Garden City, Borehamwood.

Your questions answered

Can I get a free survey in St Albans?

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.

What approvals apply in St Albans?

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).

Do you work in my part of St Albans?

We cover St Albans including AL1, AL2, AL4, and nearby Harpenden, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead.

How quickly can work start in St Albans?

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

Also in St Albans

Questions about tar and chip driveways in St Albans? Call, WhatsApp or use the form, and we'll talk it through.