Tar and chip driveways in Lichfield

What does a tar and chip driveway cost in Lichfield?

These Lichfield guide prices reflect rates in the West Midlands, in line with our UK midpoint.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
Tar and chip drive with a new sub-base	£45–£75 per m²
Example: 50 m² drive	£2,250–£3,750
Example: 100 m² drive	£4,500–£7,500
Example: 200 m² drive	£8,550–£14,250

As a 2026 guide in Lichfield, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £45–£75 per m² including VAT, so a 100 m² drive is roughly £4,500–£7,500. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Covering Lichfield

What applies in Lichfield. Lichfield is 27 miles from Stoke-on-Trent, and we survey there as part of Staffordshire cover.

Postcodes: WS13, WS14
Area: Staffordshire
Nearest towns: Burntwood (4 miles), Tamworth (6 miles), Aldridge (7 miles), Rugeley (7 miles)
Pricing: West Midlands, in line with our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

We also cover nearby Burntwood, Tamworth, Aldridge, Rugeley, Great Wyrley.

How it is built

Rules that apply in Lichfield

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.

What is included in 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.

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
Second coat where a double dressing is specified

Lichfield: common questions

Is the survey in Lichfield 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.

What approvals apply in Lichfield?

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).

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

As a 2026 guide in Lichfield, tar and chip driveway work runs at about £45–£75 per m² including VAT, so a 100 m² drive is roughly £4,500–£7,500. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

How long will the work take at my Lichfield property?

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

More we do in Lichfield

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