What to know before a permeable block drive in Blackwood
Blackwood 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.
Hilly streets in much of Wales mean many drives slope, which shapes the falls, the edging and the water route.
How much does a permeable block drive cost in Blackwood?
Expect permeable block drives in Blackwood to come in at around £100–£160 per m², including VAT at 20%. As an example, a 50 m² drive usually comes to between £4,900 and £7,900.
| Item | Guide price inc VAT |
|---|---|
| Permeable block paving driveway | £100–£160 per m² |
| Breaking out an old surface | £9.50–£35 per m² |
| Edging or kerb, bedded and haunched | £19–£45 per metre |
| Typical channel drain run | £330–£930 |
| Dropped kerb (vehicle crossover) construction | £930–£2,800 |
Guide figures for Wales, checked 9 November 2026. See all prices or use the guide price tool.
What is included?
Permeable block paving is block paving built so that rainwater drains down through the joints into a deep, open-graded stone sub-base, where it is stored and soaks away slowly into the ground or is piped off. The blocks have small spacers or wider joints filled with fine grit instead of sand.
- Ground check: how well the soil drains and how high the water table sits
- Edge restraints and any overflow or outlet the design needs
- Grit laying course and permeable blocks with grit-filled joints
- Geotextile layer where the design needs one
- Open-graded crushed stone (no fines) laid and compacted in layers
What we check on a Blackwood survey
- Where rain will go: falls, lawn, border, channel or soakaway
- Ground conditions under the old surface and how deep the sub-base must be
- The kerb: is it already dropped, and is it wide enough?
- Trees and roots near the drive
- Access for a mini-digger, skip or grab lorry
Do you need permission in Blackwood?
Blackwood is in Wales, so these rules apply:
In Wales, any new or replacement hard surface at the front of a house should be permeable or drain to a permeable area within the property to avoid needing planning permission. Unlike England, there is no 5 m² allowance for new paving; only repairs of up to 5 m² of existing surface are exempt.
Since January 2019, construction work covering 100 m² or more with drainage implications, including drives and patios, needs approval from the local SuDS Approving Body (SAB) before work starts, even where planning permission is not needed.
A dropped kerb needs your council's approval as highway authority, and a new access onto a classified road 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.
How we work
Itemised quotes
Break-out, waste, edging, drainage and covers are separate lines you can see.
Water planned first
Falls, channels and soakaways are designed before the pattern is chosen.
Repair before replace
If your drive can be fixed or re-laid, we will say so.
Clean finish
The site is swept, the joints are filled and you are shown how to look after the paving.
Permeable paving in Blackwood: questions
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 you cover Bargoed, Abercarn and Abertillery?
Yes. We cover Blackwood and the places around it, including Bargoed, Abercarn and Abertillery, and the rest of Gwent.
Can you match the blocks to my house in Blackwood?
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.
How much does a permeable block drive cost in Blackwood?
Our guide for Blackwood is £100–£160 per m² including VAT, so a 50 m² drive is usually about £4,900–£7,900. Your fixed price follows the survey.
Permeable paving near Blackwood
Nearby towns we cover for permeable paving, and permeable paving across Gwent:
- Permeable paving in Bargoed
- Permeable paving in Abercarn
- Permeable paving in Abertillery
- Permeable paving in Risca
- Permeable paving in Caerphilly
- Permeable paving in Pontypool
