Tar and chip driveways in Boston

What does a tar and chip driveway cost in Boston?

Local guide rates for Boston (the East Midlands, about 2% below our UK midpoint):

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Tar and chip drive with a new sub-base	£44–£74 per m²
Example: 50 m² drive	£2,200–£3,700
Example: 100 m² drive	£4,400–£7,350
Example: 200 m² drive	£8,400–£13,950

As a 2026 guide in Boston, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £44–£74 per m² including VAT, so a 200 m² drive is roughly £8,400–£13,950. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed 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

Rules that apply in Boston

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.

Where we work in and around Boston

What applies in Boston. Boston is 27 miles from Lincoln, and we survey there as part of Lincolnshire cover.

Postcodes: PE21, PE20, PE22
Area: Lincolnshire
Nearest towns: Spalding (14 miles), Sleaford (16 miles), Skegness (19 miles)
Pricing: East Midlands, about 2% below our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

The same service is available in Spalding, Sleaford, Skegness.

How it is built

Questions about tar and chip driveways in Boston

How quickly can work start in Boston?

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

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

As a 2026 guide in Boston, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £44–£74 per m² including VAT, so a 200 m² drive is roughly £8,400–£13,950. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Is the survey in Boston free?

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 I need permission for a tar and chip driveway in Boston?

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).

More we do in Boston

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