Tar and chip driveways in Canterbury

How much should I budget in Canterbury?

Guide prices below are for Canterbury, 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 Canterbury, 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.

Do I need permission in Canterbury?

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.

Canterbury: the local details

Canterbury at a glance. Canterbury is 24 miles from Maidstone, and we survey there as part of Kent cover.

Postcodes: CT1, CT2, CT4, CT3
Area: Kent
Nearest towns: Whitstable (6 miles), Herne Bay (7 miles), Faversham (9 miles), Ashford (Kent) (13 miles)
Pricing: South East, about 10% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

Nearby, we work in Whitstable, Herne Bay, Faversham, Ashford (Kent), Folkestone.

The build-up we price

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
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

Questions about tar and chip driveways in Canterbury

How quickly can work start in Canterbury?

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

What is the price of a tar and chip driveway in Canterbury?

As a 2026 guide in Canterbury, 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. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Can I get a free survey in Canterbury?

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.

Do you cover all of Canterbury?

We cover Canterbury including CT1, CT2, CT4, CT3, and nearby Whitstable, Herne Bay, Faversham.

Also in Canterbury

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