Rutland Driveways & Landscaping 07312 132517 Site visit
A new golden resin bound permeable driveway with a granite sett border in front of a limestone village house, gravel verge, five-bar timber gate
Rutland · Stamford · Oakham

Permeable driveways

Permeable driveways in Rutland, Stamford and the villages around them that let rain soak away, so no planning application is needed for the front garden.

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5 yearWritten guarantee
VubaApproved resin installer
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8 yearsTrading in Rutland

As a guide, a permeable resin bound driveway costs £150–£220 per m², permeable block paving £140–£210 per m² and stabilised gravel £60–£100 per m², all in. On heavy clay a lined system with a controlled outlet adds to that. A new or replacement front driveway needs no planning permission if it is permeable, or if the water drains to a lawn or border on your own land.

Permeable block
£140–£210 per m²
Planning
Not needed for a permeable front drive
Guarantee
5 years, in writing

Guide prices from 2026 online price guides, at the higher end. Your fixed price comes in writing after the site visit.

Permeable driveways

What it is

A permeable driveway lets rain soak through the surface and the base into the ground, instead of running onto the road. Resin bound, permeable block paving and stabilised gravel can all be built as permeable systems, but only on an open-graded base designed for the ground underneath.

Permeable driveways

Why permeable

Since October 2008, paving more than 5m² of front garden in a surface that drains to the road needs planning permission. A permeable drive avoids that, and keeps surface water out of overloaded drains.

The surface alone does not make it permeable: the base has to be open-graded stone with no fines, deep enough to hold a downpour while it soaks away.

Permeable driveways

When the ground will not take it

On heavy clay the water has nowhere to go, so the base is lined and drained through a controlled outlet to a soakaway, crate or approved connection. We test the ground before designing it.

Permeable driveways

Planning

A new or replacement front driveway needs no planning permission if it is permeable, or if the water drains to a lawn or border on your own land. More than 5m² of impermeable surface draining to the road needs planning permission. Planning Portal: paving your front garden

Our standard

What you get

  • Surfaces that meet the front garden rule without a planning application
  • Open-graded sub-base sized for your ground and the rainfall
  • Lined systems with a controlled outlet where the ground will not take water
  • Resin bound, permeable block or stabilised gravel finishes

The specification

  • Ground tested for how fast it takes water
  • Geotextile and open-graded sub-base, no fines
  • Permeable laying course
  • Resin bound, permeable block or gravel surface
  • Edges restrained so the surface cannot spread
  • Five year workmanship guarantee in writing
Charcoal permeable block paving driveway with a contrasting border at a brick house
The finish

The kind of finish we build

A new golden resin bound permeable driveway with a granite sett border in front of a limestone village house, gravel verge, five-bar timber gate
A new golden resin bound permeable driveway with a granite sett border in front of a limestone village house
Charcoal permeable block paving driveway with a contrasting border at a brick house
Charcoal permeable block paving driveway with a contrasting border at a brick house
A stabilised gravel driveway with a stone sett edge leading to an ironstone cottage, neat and level, rain-wet surface just after a shower with no puddles
A stabilised gravel driveway with a stone sett edge leading to an ironstone cottage
★★★★★

Rated 5.0 from 37 Google reviews

“We really like our resin driveway the team installed for us in Oakham. Well done 👏💪”

Xhulian, Oakham · Resin driveway — Google review

“rutland driveway recently completed our resin driveway in Stamford. The team were great from the start. at first they done an AI mock up for us and we got to change colours etc until we were happy, then the final product looked even better!”

Victor, Stamford · Resin driveway — Google review
Read the reviews
Questions

Things people ask us

How much does a permeable driveway cost?
As a guide, a permeable resin bound driveway costs £150–£220 per m², permeable block paving £140–£210 per m² and stabilised gravel £60–£100 per m², all in. On heavy clay a lined system with a controlled outlet adds to that.
Is a permeable driveway the same as a soakaway?
Not quite. A permeable drive spreads the water over the whole area and lets it soak away through the base. On ground that will not take water, it can be lined and drained to a controlled outlet instead.
Do permeable driveways clog up?
Slowly, if leaves and silt are left on them. A sweep and an occasional jet wash keep the joints and pores open.
Which driveway surfaces are permeable?
Resin bound on an open-graded base, permeable block paving and stabilised gravel are the three permeable driveway surfaces we build. Each only works as permeable if the base below is open-graded stone with no fines; the same surface on solid concrete or a standard compacted sub-base sheds water like any other. The base matters as much as the finish.
Is block paving or tarmac permeable?
Standard block paving and standard tarmac are both treated as impermeable for the front garden planning rule. Permeable block paving is a different product: blocks with wider joints filled with fine grit, laid on an open-graded base so rain passes through the joints. Porous asphalt exists, but on a domestic drive resin bound or permeable block is the more usual route.
Does a permeable driveway work on clay soil?
Yes, but it has to be designed for it. Clay barely takes water, so on ground like the Vale of Catmose clay around Oakham the open-graded base is lined and drained through a controlled outlet to a soakaway, crate or approved connection. The drive still holds rain and releases it slowly, which is what the planning rule is after. We test the ground before designing it.
Does a permeable driveway need planning permission?
Not normally for a house: a permeable front drive is permitted development whatever its size. The exceptions are listed buildings, flats and maisonettes, and Article 4 areas such as the Stamford conservation area and some Rutland villages, where a road-facing hard surface needs permission whatever it is made of. A dropped kerb still always needs highway approval.
How long does a permeable driveway last?
A permeable driveway lasts about as long as the same surface built conventionally, provided the pores and joints are kept clear: decades for permeable block, commonly 15 to 25 years for resin bound. What shortens its life is silt and leaf litter left to clog the surface, or a base built with fines that never drained properly in the first place.
Can I make my existing driveway permeable?
Not by coating over it. Resin or blocks laid on an existing concrete or tarmac drive sit on a sealed base, so the water still runs off. To make a drive permeable the old surface comes out and an open-graded base goes in. The alternative is to keep the surface and add drainage, such as a channel drain to a soakaway on your own land.
What does SuDS-compliant mean for a driveway?
SuDS means sustainable drainage systems: managing rain where it lands rather than sending it into the drains. A SuDS-compliant driveway lets water soak into the ground, or holds it in the base and releases it slowly, so it does not add to surface water flooding. For a front garden in England that is what keeps a new drive outside the planning application route.
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Prices

What permeable driveways cost

Our permeable driveways cost guide breaks the price down: what is included, what changes it and what to check in any quote.

Request a site visit

We measure up, check levels and drainage, and send a written proposal with the build-up, the programme and one whole price. No pressure and no follow-up sales calls.

Request a site visit Call 07312 132517
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