Front garden to driveway conversions in Preston: the local picture
Across Preston, front gardens range from narrow terrace plots to broad modern drives, and the best block, pattern and drainage choice changes with them.
Terraced streets across the North West often have very short frontages, so we check parking depth before quoting a conversion.
How much does a front garden driveway cost in Preston?
Guide price in Preston: £85–£140 per m² including VAT, which puts a 50 m² double drive at about £4,250–£7,000. These are North West guide figures; the survey confirms the real price before you commit.
| Item | Guide price inc VAT |
|---|---|
| Concrete block driveway, new sub-base | £85–£140 per m² |
| Breaking out an old surface | £10–£40 per m² |
| Edging or kerb, bedded and haunched | £20–£50 per metre |
| Typical channel drain run | £350–£1,000 |
| Dropped kerb (vehicle crossover) construction | £1,000–£3,000 |
Guide figures for the North West, 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.
- Dig-out, sub-base and edging
- Optional bin store area, planting strip and low edging
- Permeable blocks or falls to a planted border
- Space check: car length, door swing and the gap to the pavement
- Wall, hedge or fence opening and making good the ends
Before we price your front garden driveway
- Whether front-garden planning rules apply
- Existing manhole and inspection covers, and whether to recess them
- Steps, thresholds and door heights
- Access for a mini-digger, skip or grab lorry
- Edges against lawns, beds, walls and neighbours
Do you need permission in Preston?
Preston 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.
What you can expect from us
Itemised quotes
Break-out, waste, edging, drainage and covers are separate lines you can see.
Repair before replace
If your drive can be fixed or re-laid, we will say so.
Edges set in concrete
Every edge restraint is bedded and haunched, so the paving cannot creep.
Clean finish
The site is swept, the joints are filled and you are shown how to look after the paving.
Front garden drives in Preston: questions
Can you match the blocks to my house in Preston?
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.
Do I need planning permission for a front garden driveway in Preston?
In England, a front drive over 5 m² needs planning permission unless it is permeable or drains to a lawn or border within your boundary. Ask us on the survey if you are unsure.
Do you cover Leyland, Chorley and Blackburn?
Yes. We cover Preston and the places around it, including Leyland, Chorley and Blackburn, and the rest of Lancashire.
Front garden drives near Preston
Nearby towns we cover for front garden drives, and front garden drives across Lancashire:
- Front garden drives in Leyland
- Front garden drives in Chorley
- Front garden drives in Blackburn
- Front garden drives in Darwen
- Front garden drives in Lytham St Annes
- Front garden drives in Accrington
