Driveways in Balsall Common

Planning your driveway in Balsall Common

For driveways in Balsall Common, the rules that matter are drainage and access. Permeable paving or a soakaway avoids a planning application, and any change to the kerb goes through Solihull Council.

A driveway should finish well below the damp-proof course of the house.
Planning permission is usually needed for a new access onto a classified road.
Before you drive across the pavement, you need the highway authority's consent for a dropped kerb.

Postcode district: CV7
Planning and building control: Solihull Council
From our West Bromwich base: 17 miles

Which option fits your home?

Tarmac

Hot-laid asphalt over a compacted sub-base, finished with a roller and edged with kerbs or setts. Tarmac is quick to lay and good value for larger areas. Standard tarmac is impermeable, so on a front garden it needs to drain to a soakaway or border, or use a porous asphalt mix.

Gravel with ground grids

Gravel laid over plastic ground grids on a membrane and compacted sub-base. The grids stop the gravel moving into ruts, and the whole surface drains naturally, so it meets the front garden rules. Gravel is the most affordable surface, though it needs occasional raking and topping up, and it's less practical for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

Driveways prices in Balsall Common

Expect to budget between £2,200 and £12,000 depending on size and specification in Balsall Common. Block paving driveway of about 45 m² for two cars, with dig-out, sub-base, edging and drainage: typically £5,000–£7,200.

Guide prices for driveways
Option	Guide price	Good to know
Gravel or tarmac driveway	£2,200 – £4,800	About 40 m², new sub-base and edging
Block paving driveway	£4,500 – £7,500	About 40–50 m², with drainage or permeable build
Resin-bound driveway	£5,000 – £8,500	About 40–50 m², on a permeable base

Guide ranges include VAT where it applies. Access, parking and the state of what's there now can move the price — the survey settles it.

Questions about driveways in Balsall Common

What guarantee comes with a new driveway?

The materials, such as blocks, resin and drainage channels, come with their manufacturers' guarantees, and the terms for your driveway are set out in your quote. How long a driveway stays level depends largely on the sub-base, so we name its depth and type in your specification. Keep your quote and paperwork with your house documents.

Which postcodes in Balsall Common do you work in?

We cover CV7 and the streets around them. If you're on the edge of Balsall Common, neighbouring Tile Hill and Meriden are covered too.

Which driveway surface is best?

It depends on budget, looks and drainage. Block paving is hard-wearing and repairable; resin-bound is smooth, tidy and permeable on the right base; tarmac is good value for larger areas; gravel is the cheapest and drains naturally. A permeable option avoids the need for planning permission on a front garden. We'll show you samples at survey.

Does Solihull Council need to approve my driveway?

Only for a new or widened dropped kerb, which needs consent from Solihull Council, or for a non-permeable surface over 5 m² that drains to the road, which needs planning permission from Solihull Council.

Nearby places we cover

Other home improvements in Balsall Common

Levels, drainage and the kerb all get checked before we quote, so book a free driveway survey in Balsall Common.