Rutland Driveways & Landscaping 01572 344119 Site visit
Long tarmac farm drive with sett edging between stone gate piers and post-and-rail fencing
Rutland · Stamford · Oakham

Tarmac driveways

Machine-laid tarmac for drives, long rural entrances and farm tracks, with sett and block borders.

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A new tarmac driveway typically costs £90–£130 per m² on a properly rebuilt base, so a two-car drive of 40–50m² is usually £4,500–£6,500. Where the base is sound, a plane and re-top costs £45–£70 per m². Long rural drives and farm entrances are priced per job.

Full rebuild per m²
£90–£130
Two-car drive (40–50m²)
£4,500–£6,500
Plane and re-top
£45–£70 per m²
Surface course
SMA as standard

Our 2026 guide prices, all in. Your fixed price comes in writing after the site visit.

Tarmac driveways

Tarmac, built to last

For long drives, farm entrances and larger frontages, machine-laid tarmac is hard to beat on cost per square metre and sheer durability. The trick is stopping it looking municipal, and that comes down to edging and detail.

Where tarmac makes sense

We recommend tarmac most often for longer rural drives around Rutland's villages, shared accesses, and larger frontages where resin or block would stretch the budget without adding much. Laid in two courses on a proper sub-base, it shrugs off tractors, oil deliveries and the school run alike.

  • Binder and wearing courses machine-laid and rolled, not hand-raked patchwork
  • Edged in granite setts, block borders or stone to lift the appearance
  • Falls and drainage designed in: tarmac is impermeable, so where the water goes matters
  • Red and resin-decorated finishes available where a plain black surface feels too stark

A note on planning

Because tarmac is impermeable, front gardens over five square metres need the run-off contained within the property, usually with a channel drain to a soakaway, or planning permission becomes a factor. We design this in and handle it as part of the job.

Prefer gravel?

For period and country properties we also install gravel driveways on a stabilising grid, which keeps the traditional crunch without the constant raking and migration of loose-laid gravel.

Typical tarmac build-up

  • Excavation and geotextile where ground requires
  • Sub-base: compacted MOT Type 1, thickness to suit loads
  • Binder course: AC20, machine laid
  • Wearing course: AC10 / SMA to finish
  • Edging: granite, block or stone set in concrete

Got a long drive to surface?

Rural access drives are our bread and butter. Send us the location and we will come and measure up.

Our standard

What you get

  • Stone mastic asphalt surface course as our standard build
  • Proper sub-base under it, so it does not rut or crack
  • Granite sett or block borders that lift the whole frontage
  • Long drives and farm entrances machine laid

The specification

  • Old surface out and the ground checked
  • 150mm compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base
  • Binder course laid hot and rolled
  • SMA (stone mastic asphalt) surface course
  • Sett, block or kerb edging restrained in concrete
  • Five year workmanship guarantee in writing
Long tarmac farm drive with sett edging between stone gate piers and post-and-rail fencing
Prices by town

What a tarmac driveway costs near you

Typical sizes we price in each town, at our 2026 guide rates.

TownTypical sizeTypical cost
Oakham35–60m²£3,250–£7,750
Uppingham30–55m²£2,750–£7,250
Stamford30–55m²£2,750–£7,250
Market Harborough30–55m²£2,750–£7,250
Corby30–50m²£2,750–£6,500
Kettering30–50m²£2,750–£6,500

More detail in our price guide.

Recent finishes

The kind of finish we build

Black tarmac driveway with a brindle block border in front of a stone house
Black tarmac driveway with a brindle block border in front of a stone house
Long tarmac farm drive with sett edging between stone gate piers and post-and-rail fencing
Long tarmac farm drive with sett edging between stone gate piers and post-and-rail fencing
Gravel driveway through a five-bar gate to a stone village house
Gravel driveway through a five-bar gate to a stone village house
By council

Planning and dropped kerbs by council

A front driveway needs no planning permission if it is permeable or drains to your own lawn or border; more than 5m² of impermeable surface draining to the road does (Planning Portal guidance). In the Stamford conservation area the Article 4 direction brings any new road-facing hard surface under planning control. A new or wider entrance also needs a dropped kerb, and the rules depend on the highway authority.

Highway authorityTownsDropped kerb feeWho builds it
Rutland County CouncilOakham, Uppingham, Ketton, Empingham, Cottesmore, Greetham, Langham, Whissendine, Ryhall, Edith Weston£194 for the vehicle access permitan accredited contractor under the council's permit (we can do it)
Lincolnshire County CouncilStamford£300 for the council to build it, or £470 for a contractorthe county council, or an accredited contractor (we can do it)
Leicestershire County CouncilMarket Harborough, Great Bowden£300 to apply (plus £240 if a contractor builds it)the county council, or an accredited contractor (we can do it)
North Northamptonshire CouncilCorby, Kettering, Weldon£333 for the licence and inspectionan approved contractor (we can do it)

Fees from each council's website, checked October 2026. See dropped kerbs for the process in each town.

★★★★★

Rated 5.0 from 37 Google reviews

“Lewis and the team have just finished a small block paving drive and a porcelain patio in our garden. They arrived on time and were neat and tidy, work all looks as it should. We would use them again.”

Google reviewer · Block paving drive and porcelain patio — Google review

“rutland driveway recently completed our resin driveway in Stamford. The team were great from the start. at first they done an AI mock up for us and we got to change colours etc until we were happy, then the final product looked even better!”

Victor, Stamford · Resin driveway — Google review
Read the reviews
Questions

Things people ask us

How soon can we use a new tarmac driveway?
You can usually walk on it the same day and drive on it after two to three days, depending on weather. We will confirm at handover.
Does a tarmac driveway crack?
Edges crumble where there is no restraint, and surfaces crack where the base moves. Both are build-quality issues, which is why our quotes specify edging and base depths rather than just "supply and lay tarmac".
Can you resurface over my existing drive with tarmac?
If the existing surface is sound and levels allow, an overlay wearing course can be good value. If it is breaking up, an overlay will follow it. We will give you a straight answer on site.
How much does a tarmac driveway cost?
A new tarmac driveway typically costs £90–£130 per m² on a properly rebuilt base, so a two-car drive of 40–50m² is usually £4,500–£6,500. Where the base is sound, a plane and re-top costs £45–£70 per m². Long rural drives and farm entrances are priced per job.
How long does a tarmac driveway last?
A properly built tarmac driveway commonly lasts 15 to 20 years or more, and a plane and re-top can extend that when the base is still sound. Lifespan comes from the build: a compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base, a binder course and a dense surface course, with edges restrained in concrete. Thin single-layer tarmac on soil is what breaks up in a few winters.
Is tarmac better than block paving or resin for a driveway?
Tarmac is the best value per square metre and the toughest choice for long drives, farm entrances and heavy vehicles. Block paving costs more but is easier to repair in patches and suits period houses; resin bound costs most and gives a permeable, seamless finish. On a long rural drive tarmac usually wins; on a small front garden the decision is more about looks and drainage.
Do I need planning permission for a tarmac driveway?
Only if more than 5m² of the front garden drains onto the road, because tarmac is impermeable. Laid to fall onto a lawn or border, or into a channel drain and soakaway on your own land, it needs no application. Listed buildings, flats and Article 4 areas such as the Stamford conservation area need checking separately.
Does a new tarmac driveway go soft in hot weather?
New tarmac stays slightly soft for its first months, and on hot days it can mark. During that first summer avoid turning the steering wheel while the car is stationary, and keep motorbike stands, trailer jacks and skip lorries off it, or put a board under them. It hardens as it ages, and the dense SMA surface course we lay as standard resists marking better than open-textured mixes.
What is SMA tarmac and why is it used on driveways?
SMA, or stone mastic asphalt, is a surface course made of a strong stone skeleton held in a bitumen-rich mortar. It resists rutting and scuffing better than older mixes, has a tight closed surface that keeps water out of the layers below, and gives a neat, even finish. It is our standard surface course, laid hot and rolled over a binder course.
How do you maintain a tarmac driveway?
Sweep it, keep the drainage channels clear and pull any weeds at the edges before they get a hold. Deal with oil, petrol and diesel quickly with an absorbent, because fuels dissolve the bitumen that binds tarmac together and leave soft patches. Older, faded tarmac can be refreshed with a restorer, but new tarmac does not need sealing.
How long does it take to lay a tarmac driveway?
Most domestic tarmac driveways are a few days' work, and most of that is breaking out the old surface, setting edges and building the sub-base. The binder and surface courses are usually machine-laid and rolled in a day once the base is ready. Long rural drives take longer and are programmed after the site visit.
Can a tarmac driveway be laid in winter?
Tarmac can be laid for much of the year, but not on frozen or waterlogged ground, in heavy rain, or in freezing conditions. Hot asphalt cools quickly in the cold, and if it cools before rolling it cannot be compacted properly and will fail early. In winter we work to the forecast and lay only when the base is dry and frost-free.
Near you

Tarmac driveways near you

Request a site visit

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.

Request a site visit Call 01572 344119
☎Call 01572 344119 Site visit