Planning a front garden driveway in Felling
In Felling, many front gardens have already been paved once, so new paving often starts with breaking out the old surface.
Former colliery ground and clay soils occur across the North East, so the survey checks for soft spots before the sub-base depth is set.
How much does a front garden driveway cost in Felling?
Guide price in Felling: £75–£125 per m² including VAT, which puts a 50 m² double drive at about £3,850–£6,300. These are North East guide figures; the survey confirms the real price before you commit.
| Item | Guide price inc VAT |
|---|---|
| Concrete block driveway, new sub-base | £75–£125 per m² |
| Breaking out an old surface | £9–£35 per m² |
| Edging or kerb, bedded and haunched | £18–£45 per metre |
| Typical channel drain run | £320–£900 |
| Dropped kerb (vehicle crossover) construction | £900–£2,700 |
Guide figures for the North East, checked 9 November 2026. See all prices or use the guide price tool.
What does a front garden driveway involve?
A front garden conversion turns a lawn or small front garden into off-street parking. For terraces and semis without a drive, it is often the single most useful change to the house, but it only works if a car fits, the water has somewhere to go and the council will drop the kerb.
- Dig-out, sub-base and edging
- Space check: car length, door swing and the gap to the pavement
- Advice on the dropped kerb application before work starts
- Wall, hedge or fence opening and making good the ends
- Optional bin store area, planting strip and low edging
What we check on a Felling survey
- Where an electric vehicle charger cable might run
- Whether front-garden planning rules apply
- Existing manhole and inspection covers, and whether to recess them
- Trees and roots near the drive
- Block range, thickness, colour and pattern to suit the house
Planning and kerb rules in Felling
Felling 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.
How it works
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
Repair before replace
If your drive can be fixed or re-laid, we will say so.
Water planned first
Falls, channels and soakaways are designed before the pattern is chosen.
Itemised quotes
Break-out, waste, edging, drainage and covers are separate lines you can see.
One point of contact
You deal with one team from survey to sign-off, with work carried out by paving teams working under S&K.
Front garden drives in Felling: questions
Do I need planning permission for a front garden driveway in Felling?
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.
Is the survey in Felling free?
Yes, for new paving here: the survey and written quote are free with no obligation. Repairs and cleaning are usually priced from photos, or from a short visit where needed.
Do you cover Newcastle upon Tyne, Hebburn and Wallsend?
Yes. We cover Felling and the places around it, including Newcastle upon Tyne, Hebburn and Wallsend, and the rest of Tyne and Wear.
Can you match the blocks to my house in Felling?
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.
Front garden drives near Felling
Nearby towns we cover for front garden drives, and front garden drives across Tyne and Wear:
- Front garden drives in Newcastle upon Tyne
- Front garden drives in Hebburn
- Front garden drives in Wallsend
- Front garden drives in Gosforth
- Front garden drives in Jarrow
- Front garden drives in Washington
