Question 1

Do I need planning permission for a new driveway?

Accepted Answer

Under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order, you may need planning permission if more than 5 m² of your front garden is covered with an impermeable surface (such as standard tarmac, concrete or block paving) and the water doesn't drain to a permeable area. You can avoid needing planning permission by using permeable surfacing (permeable block paving, gravel or resin bound) or draining water to a lawn or border. This is part of the SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) requirements.

Question 2

How deep should a driveway sub-base be?

Accepted Answer

For a standard domestic driveway, the Type 1 MOT sub-base should be 100-150mm deep after compaction. We use 150mm in our calculations for a robust base. The sub-base must be well compacted with a plate compactor or roller. On soft or clay soils, you may need a deeper sub-base (200-225mm) or a geotextile membrane to prevent mixing. Use our Type 1 Sub-Base Calculator for detailed sub-base quantities.

Question 3

How many block pavers do I need per m²?

Accepted Answer

Standard 200×100mm block pavers laid in a herringbone pattern require approximately 50 blocks per m². This accounts for the blocks themselves with 2-3mm joints. For a typical single-width driveway (3m × 8m = 24 m²), you would need roughly 1,200 blocks before wastage. Add 10% for cuts and wastage, especially for herringbone patterns. See our Block Paving Calculator for more patterns.

Question 4

What is the cheapest type of driveway?

Accepted Answer

Gravel is typically the cheapest driveway surface at around £30-50 per m² installed (materials and labour). Block paving costs £60-100 per m², tarmac £50-80 per m², resin bound £60-90 per m², and concrete £50-85 per m². However, gravel requires periodic topping up and raking. Block paving and resin bound offer the best balance of durability, appearance and permeability.

Question 5

How thick should a concrete driveway be?

Accepted Answer

A domestic concrete driveway should be at least 150mm thick for car use, laid on a compacted 150mm Type 1 sub-base. For a house drive or domestic parking, specify a BS 8500 designated air-entrained paving mix — PAV1 (XF3 exposure) — stepping up to PAV2 (XF4) only where the surface is regularly de-iced with salt or carries vans/HGVs. Order PAV1/PAV2 by their BS 8500 designation: the ready-mix supplier batches each to the strength class, minimum cement content and maximum water/cement ratio that BS 8500 fixes for that paving mix, so you don't substitute a plain GEN/RC grade. The entrained air (≈4.5–5.5% for 20mm aggregate) gives PAV mixes the freeze-thaw and de-icing salt resistance that plain GEN or RC mixes lack. Reinforcement mesh (A193 - NHBC minimum for domestic driveways) should sit near the top of the slab (around 50mm cover) on bar chairs, where it best controls surface shrinkage cracks. Include expansion joints every 3 metres maximum to prevent cracking. For ready-mix concrete quantities, see our Concrete Volume Calculator.

Driveway Calculator — Materials for Any Surface Type

How We Calculate This

Base calculations

Gravel driveway

Block paving

Tarmac

Resin bound

Concrete

Frequently Asked Questions

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