Tar and chip driveways in Ashford, Kent

How much should I budget in Ashford, Kent?

Local guide rates for Ashford, Kent (the South East, 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 Ashford, Kent, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £50–£82 per m² including VAT, so a 200 m² drive is roughly £9,400–£15,700. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Ashford, Kent: the local details

Survey cover and pricing for Ashford, Kent. Ashford, Kent sits 18 miles from Maidstone, within our regular Kent cover.

Postcodes: TN24, TN23, TN25, TN26
Area: Kent
Nearest towns: Faversham (12 miles), Canterbury (13 miles), Folkestone (13 miles), Sittingbourne (15 miles)
Pricing: South East, about 10% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

The same service is available in Faversham, Canterbury, Folkestone, Sittingbourne, Whitstable.

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

Do I need permission in Ashford, Kent?

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. If the job needs a dropped kerb, the highway authority (the county or unitary council) approves it before any work on the footway.

Ashford, Kent: common questions

Do you cover all of Ashford, Kent?

We cover Ashford, Kent including TN24, TN23, TN25, TN26, and nearby Faversham, Canterbury, Folkestone.

How quickly can work start in Ashford, Kent?

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

Are there planning or highway rules in Ashford, Kent?

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).

How much does a tar and chip driveway cost in Ashford, Kent?

As a 2026 guide in Ashford, Kent, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £50–£82 per m² including VAT, so a 200 m² drive is roughly £9,400–£15,700. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Other work in Ashford, Kent

Ready for a price in Ashford, Kent? Use the guide price tool or send the form, and we'll arrange a visit.