Tar and chip driveways in Kettering

How much should I budget in Kettering?

For Kettering, we apply the East Midlands rate, about 2% below our UK midpoint. Your survey turns these ranges into a fixed price.

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 Kettering, 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.

Where we work in and around Kettering

Kettering at a glance. We reach Kettering on our Northamptonshire survey days; Northampton is 12 miles away.

Postcodes: NN16, NN14, NN15
Area: Northamptonshire
Nearest towns: Wellingborough (7 miles), Corby (7 miles), Rushden (9 miles), Market Harborough (10 miles)
Pricing: East Midlands, about 2% below our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

We also cover nearby Wellingborough, Corby, Rushden, Market Harborough, Northampton.

The build-up we price

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.

Hot bitumen or emulsion sprayed evenly
Chippings spread straight onto the binder
Rolled to bed the stones in
Loose surplus chippings swept up after a few days
Second coat where a double dressing is specified

Rules that apply in Kettering

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. Any new or widened crossing over the pavement needs approval from the highway authority (the county or unitary council).

Questions about tar and chip driveways in Kettering

How long will the work take at my Kettering property?

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

Do you cover all of Kettering?

We cover Kettering including NN16, NN14, NN15, and nearby Wellingborough, Corby, Rushden.

Can I get a free survey in Kettering?

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.

Are there planning or highway rules in Kettering?

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).

Also in Kettering

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