Tar and chip driveways in Swanscombe

Tar and chip driveway prices in Swanscombe

Guide prices below are for Swanscombe, 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 Swanscombe, 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 Swanscombe

Survey cover and pricing for Swanscombe. We cover Swanscombe by grouping surveys with nearby Kent jobs; Maidstone is 15 miles away.

Postcodes: DA10, DA9, DA3
Area: Kent
Nearest towns: Grays (2 miles), Gravesend (3 miles), Dartford (4 miles), South Ockendon (4 miles)
Pricing: South East, about 10% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

The same service is available in Grays, Gravesend, Dartford, South Ockendon, Swanley.

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
Hot bitumen or emulsion sprayed evenly
Rolled to bed the stones in
Loose surplus chippings swept up after a few days

Layer by layer

Rules that apply in Swanscombe

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).

Your questions answered

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

As a 2026 guide in Swanscombe, 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.

How long will the work take at my Swanscombe property?

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

Do you work in my part of Swanscombe?

We cover Swanscombe including DA10, DA9, DA3, and nearby Grays, Gravesend, Dartford.

Will someone visit before I get a fixed price in Swanscombe?

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 Swanscombe

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