Block paving driveways in Oakham
Block paved driveways in Oakham, laid on a full sub-base with restrained edges and drainage to your own ground.
A block paved driveway in Oakham typically costs £120–£170 per m² all in. Most Oakham drives we price are around 35–60m², which works out at roughly £4,250–£10,250. A permeable drive, or one that drains to your own lawn or border, needs no planning permission; more than 5m² of impermeable surface draining to the road does. A new or wider entrance needs a dropped kerb from Rutland County Council: £194 for the vehicle access permit, and we can build the crossing under the council's permit.
- Typical cost here
- £4,250–£10,250 for 35–60m²
- Planning
- Not needed if it drains to your own ground
- Dropped kerb
- Rutland County Council: £194 for the vehicle access permit
- Ground
- Vale of Catmose clay; slow to drain
Our 2026 guide prices, all in. Your fixed price comes in writing after the site visit. Council fees checked October 2026.
What block paving driveways in Oakham usually involve
A block paved driveway is concrete or clay blocks laid on a screeded sand course over a compacted sub-base, with edges restrained and joints sanded. Laid properly it carries cars for decades, and individual blocks can be lifted for repairs.
Oakham mixes three kinds of street: the old town around the castle, All Saints and the Market Place, built in limestone and warm ironstone; Victorian and interwar terraces and semis off Brooke Road, Braunston Road and Burley Road; and the newer estates at Barleythorpe and Oakham Heights, where builder-grade drives are often replaced within a few years.
We cover Oakham (LE15) and the villages around it, including Barleythorpe, Langham, Braunston-in-Rutland, Egleton, Whissendine, Cottesmore, Greetham, Burley, Ashwell and Exton.
Ground, drainage and conservation in Oakham
Oakham sits in the Vale of Catmose, and the ground around much of the town is heavy clay that holds water through the winter. Base depth and drainage are where Oakham drives succeed or fail, so we dig a test hole and design the soakaway, channel or permeable build-up on the visit.
The Oakham conservation area covers the historic centre, but Oakham has no Article 4 direction, so outside listed buildings the normal permitted development rules apply, with the usual conservation area limits.
Oakham is listed in Rutland County Council's flood strategy as a surface water flood risk area of national significance, and the Barleythorpe Brook runs culverted under parts of the town. Water that has nowhere to go is the commonest problem we fix here. You can check any address on the Environment Agency flood map.
Sources: Rutland conservation areas · Rutland flood risk strategy.
Permissions and fees in Oakham
- Check the surface ruleA permeable drive, or one that drains to your own lawn or border, needs no planning permission; more than 5m² of impermeable surface draining to the road does. Planning Portal guidance
- Conservation areaIf you are in the Oakham conservation area, use the surfaces and boundary treatments it suits. Rutland County Council: conservation areas
- Dropped kerbA new or wider entrance needs a dropped kerb from Rutland County Council: £194 for the vehicle access permit, and we can build the crossing under the council's permit. The full Oakham dropped kerb process
- Design and priceWe design the drive to meet all of this, give you one fixed written price and build it.
Council fees and rules checked October 2026. Planning fees are the national fees from 1 April 2026.
What you get
- Full-depth sub-base and a screeded laying course, not blocks on soil
- Restrained edges and a soldier course so the paving cannot creep
- Drainage designed in: falls, channels or soakaways to your own ground
- Permeable block available where the drainage needs it
The specification
- Old surface out, ground checked, geotextile where the ground needs it
- 150mm compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base
- Screeded sharp sand laying course
- Blocks laid to falls with a bedded soldier course edge
- Kiln-dried sand jointing, compacted in
- Five year workmanship guarantee in writing
“Really pleased with my new driveway. Beautifully finished, friendly professional workmen, would definitely recommend and will be using them again for the garden once other renovations complete.”
Driveway — Google review
“Absolutely great guys, job was done in good time and looks brilliant. No complaints, the driveway is immaculate. More work in the near future, thanks again!”
Driveway — Google review
Everything else we do here
Block paving driveways in Oakham: questions
How much does a block paving driveway cost in Oakham?
Do I need planning permission for a block paving driveway in Oakham?
How do I get a dropped kerb in Oakham?
Will a new driveway drain properly in Oakham?
Block paving driveways nearby
Request a site visit in Oakham
We measure up, check levels and drainage, and send a written proposal with the build-up, the programme and one whole price. No pressure and no follow-up sales calls.