Planning a front garden driveway in Portslade
Portslade is a smaller town, and many of its homes have more frontage to work with than city houses, which leaves room for borders and planting.
Planning-sensitive towns and conservation areas are common in the South East, so we check the front-garden rules before quoting.
How much does a front garden driveway cost in Portslade?
For Portslade, our guide is £90–£150 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² double drive is likely to be £4,600–£7,550. Smaller jobs cost more per square metre because set-up and waste costs do not shrink with the area.
| Item | Guide price inc VAT |
|---|---|
| Concrete block driveway, new sub-base | £90–£150 per m² |
| Breaking out an old surface | £11–£45 per m² |
| Edging or kerb, bedded and haunched | £20–£55 per metre |
| Typical channel drain run | £380–£1,100 |
| Dropped kerb (vehicle crossover) construction | £1,100–£3,250 |
Guide figures for the South East, checked 9 November 2026. See all prices or use the guide price tool.
What is included?
We check those three things before anything else. A typical small front garden needs the boundary wall or hedge opened, the ground dug out, a sub-base built and the surface laid so rain drains into a planted strip or through permeable blocks. Keeping a narrow planted border is often what makes the drainage work.
- Permeable blocks or falls to a planted border
- Space check: car length, door swing and the gap to the pavement
- Dig-out, sub-base and edging
- Optional bin store area, planting strip and low edging
- Advice on the dropped kerb application before work starts
What we check on a Portslade survey
- Trees and roots near the drive
- Where an electric vehicle charger cable might run
- Ground conditions under the old surface and how deep the sub-base must be
- Existing manhole and inspection covers, and whether to recess them
- Where rain will go: falls, lawn, border, channel or soakaway
Planning and kerb rules in Portslade
Portslade is in England, so these rules apply:
In England, paving in front of the house that covers more than 5 m² needs planning permission unless it is permeable or drains to a lawn, border or soakaway inside your boundary. Permeable block paving, or standard blocks laid to fall onto a planted strip, avoid the need for permission in most cases.
Flats and maisonettes, listed buildings, and homes covered by an Article 4 direction can have tighter rules, and conservation areas, National Parks and National Landscapes restrict some permitted development.
A dropped kerb needs your local highway authority's approval (usually the county, unitary, metropolitan or London borough council), and a new access onto an A, B or C classified road also needs planning permission.
General guidance, not legal advice. Your survey confirms what applies to your home. See the planning guide.
What happens next
Send the basics
Postcode, what you need and a rough size. Photos help.
Survey
We measure, check levels, ground and drainage, and talk through blocks and patterns.
Written quote
An itemised quote with the specification, the price and the start date.
The work
Our paving team builds it to the agreed specification and leaves the site swept.
How we work
Repair before replace
If your drive can be fixed or re-laid, we will say so.
Honest timescales
We tell you how long the job takes and what can delay it, such as approvals and weather.
Clean finish
The site is swept, the joints are filled and you are shown how to look after the paving.
Edges set in concrete
Every edge restraint is bedded and haunched, so the paving cannot creep.
Front garden drives in Portslade: questions
Can you match the blocks to my house in Portslade?
We bring samples to the survey and suggest blocks and borders that suit the age and brick of the house. Final colour is your choice.
What happens to my old drive?
It is broken out and taken away by skip or grab lorry, listed as its own line on your quote.
How much does a front garden driveway cost in Portslade?
Our guide for Portslade is £90–£150 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² double drive is usually about £4,600–£7,550. Your fixed price follows the survey.
How long does a front garden driveway take to build?
Most homes take between three and seven working days, depending on size, the dig and the drainage. Your quote gives the expected duration.
Front garden drives near Portslade
Nearby towns we cover for front garden drives, and front garden drives across East Sussex:
- Front garden drives in Hove
- Front garden drives in Brighton
- Front garden drives in Rottingdean
- Front garden drives in Seaford
- Front garden drives in Hailsham
- Front garden drives in Crowborough
