Driveways and patios in Cambridge
Block paving, resin, tarmac and patios across Cambridge, from Chesterton and Cherry Hinton to Trumpington, Histon and Great Shelford. Pick your job on the price card for a guide figure in 10 seconds.
What are you looking to have done?
Two quick questions and you'll see a guide price.
Which surface for your driveway?
Not sure? Pick the closest; Tom talks through the options on the survey.
Block paving: roughly what size?
A typical two-car drive is 40 to 50 m². A guess is fine; the free survey measures it properly.
Guide price
Pick a surface
Guide range. Larger areas come in lower per m²; the free survey fixes the price in writing.
Our typical rates per square metre
- Block paving: around £130
- Tumbled paving: around £150
- Resin bound: around £200
- Tarmac: around £130
- Imprinted concrete: around £130
- Gravel: priced on the phone
- Indian sandstone: around £180
- Porcelain: around £200
We lay driveways and patios across Cambridge: block paving, resin bound, tarmac, imprinted concrete and gravel drives, Indian sandstone and porcelain patios, and garden landscaping, from Chesterton, Romsey and Newnham to Cherry Hinton, Trumpington, Arbury and the villages of Histon, Impington and Great Shelford.
We're based in Colchester, about 60 miles away by the A120 and the M11, and we come out to Cambridge to measure up and quote in person. The price goes in writing before anything is dug up, and the guarantees are the same wherever we work: 10 years in writing on block paving, resin and patios, 5 years on tarmac and gravel.
Every drive goes down on a compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base with proper edges and drainage falls. See what's different about a drive in Cambridge further down, including the city's policy on paving over front gardens and how the dropped kerb works here.
Driveways, patios and gardens across Cambridge
Eight services, one team. Every job in Cambridge starts with a free survey and a written quote, and every installation carries a written guarantee.
Block paving
10-year written guarantee
Herringbone, basketweave or stretcher bond on a compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base, with concrete-haunched edges and a soldier-course border. Standard or tumbled blocks.
Block paving
Resin driveways
10-year written guarantee
Resin bound only, never bonded. UV-stable resin and natural aggregate hand-trowelled to 18mm over a solid base. Walk on it after 24 hours, park on it after 48.
Resin driveways
Patios
10-year written guarantee
Indian sandstone, porcelain, tumbled block paving or granite setts on a compacted hardcore base and semi-dry mortar bed, with falls away from the house. Steps and raised beds too.
Patios
Tarmac driveways
5-year written guarantee
Hot-mix asphalt laid as a binder course then a wearing course over MOT Type 1, with drainage falls and a block paving border if you want one. Usually done in one to two days.
Tarmac driveways
Imprinted concrete
Written guarantee
Pattern-imprinted concrete driveways and paths, poured in one piece and stamped in your pattern and colour, then sealed. No joints for weeds to take hold in.
Imprinted concrete
Gravel driveways
5-year written guarantee
Gravel held in a cellular grid over a weed membrane, so it stays off the road and drains properly. Pea gravel, slate chips or Cotswold stone with timber, brick or granite edging.
Gravel driveways
Cleaning and resealing
Priced on the survey
Block paving and patios pressure cleaned, re-sanded and resealed. Tarmac drives recoloured and resealed. The cheap way to make an old drive look new again.
Cleaning and resealing
Landscaping
Project guarantee
Paths, walls, steps, drainage, turf, artificial grass, sleeper raised beds, planting, fencing and decking. One team from clearance to the finished garden.
Landscaping
What's different about a drive in Cambridge
Gault-brick terraces, gravel over clay, a city policy on paving front gardens and a kerb process unlike Essex or Hertfordshire. Here's what's worth knowing before you plan a drive.
From our yard to yours
From Colchester to Cambridge on the M11: About 60 miles · about 77 minutes without traffic, by the A120 and the M11
Much of Cambridge outside the colleges is Victorian gault-brick terraces: Romsey's were mostly built between 1880 and 1900, and in Chesterton, Mill Road and Newnham many houses sit right at the back of the pavement or behind very small front gardens, so there's often no room for a car at all. Then come the suburbs: Cherry Hinton's terraces from 1885, inter-war roads, the council's Arbury estate from 1957 and King's Hedges from 1967, and the new neighbourhoods south of Trumpington. Many inner streets are in residents' parking schemes run by the county council.
Under the city, river terrace gravels lie over Gault clay to the north-west and chalk to the south-east, and the council's flood study says large parts of the city are susceptible to groundwater flooding. Cambridge's Local Plan (Policy 66) only allows paving over a front garden, where permission is needed, if it does no harm to surface-water run-off, the street's character or wildlife, and the council says it prefers permeable materials. So we'd normally lay resin bound or permeable block paving.
Good to know in Cambridge
- Policy 66: paving over front gardens
- Where a front drive needs planning permission (impermeable paving over 5 m², or work in a conservation area or at a listed building), the city only allows it with no harm to run-off, character or biodiversity. On the Accordia estate off Brooklands Avenue, an Article 4 direction means any hard surface needs permission.
- Dropped kerbs: you apply, an accredited firm builds
- Cambridgeshire County Council charges £414 to apply (£314 back if refused) and decides within six weeks. It keeps no approved list: the kerb is built by a contractor accredited for street works. The space must be at least 5 m by 2.5 m and no steeper than 1 in 12.
- A channel drain if it falls to the road
- The county says permeable paving alone doesn't satisfy it: where a drive falls towards the road, a channel drain at the boundary must keep the water on your side. The city's surface-water plan put Cambridge in the top 2% of places in England at risk.
- Gravel over clay, water close below
- The Cam's terrace gravels drain freely, but they sit on Gault clay or chalk, and in wet winters the water table comes up. A soakaway needs an infiltration test first, and may not work in winter.
Places we cover in and around Cambridge
Not listed? Call 07427 694766 and ask.
Chesterton and De FrevilleCB4 1
An old village by the river that joined Cambridge in 1912: gault-brick terraces behind small front gardens, and the De Freville estate, mostly built by 1903.
- Conservation areas cover the old village, Ferry Lane and the De Freville estate.
- The council says the loss of front gardens and walls to hardstanding "can detract"; in De Freville "few front gardens have been sacrificed".
- North and South Chesterton are both surface-water wetspots in the city's drainage plan.
Romsey and Mill RoadCB1 3
Narrow two-storey terraced houses, mostly built between 1880 and 1910, many right at the back of the pavement.
- Part of the Mill Road conservation area, extended past the railway bridge into Romsey in 2011.
- Most houses here have no room for a car, so the work is mostly patios, paths and gardens.
Cherry HintonCB1 9
Terraces laid out from 1885, suburban roads up to 1928, then 1930s and post-war council and private housing; part of Cambridge since 1934.
- No conservation area covers Cherry Hinton.
- Second on the city's list of surface-water wetspots, with the village a wetspot of its own.
TrumpingtonCB2 9
The old village on the High Street, a conservation area since 1969, and the new neighbourhoods to the south at Trumpington Meadows, Glebe Farm and Clay Farm.
- The Accordia estate off Brooklands Avenue has an Article 4 direction: any hard surface, gate, fence or wall needs planning permission.
- Trumpington was added to the county's list of surface-water wetspots in 2014.
NewnhamCB3 9
Two-storey Victorian and Edwardian terraces, built as artisan housing at high density with small front gardens, beside the river meadows.
- The Newnham Croft conservation area was approved in 1998 after a residents' campaign.
- Newnham has a residents' parking scheme.
Arbury and King's HedgesCB4 2
The city council's Arbury estate, about 2,400 homes from 1957, and King's Hedges from 1967.
- No conservation area covers either.
- First on the city's list of surface-water wetspots.
Histon and ImpingtonCB24 9
Railway villages that grew with the Chivers works after 1900, and doubled again from 1951 to 1981, mostly on private estates.
- South Cambridgeshire District Council plans them; the kerb is still the county council.
- Two conservation areas: Histon Village and Impington St Andrew's.
- The drainage plan names South Road, Villa Road, Glebe Road and Water Lane.
Great ShelfordCB22 5
A village the railway, from 1845, brought commuters to: pairs and short terraces of smaller houses before 1914, and 1970s houses on Kings Mill Lane.
- The village centre is a conservation area.
- Church Street sits on a gravel bank, but most of the parish is on lower chalk that floods near the Cam.
1. Chesterton and De Freville2. Romsey and Mill Road3. Cherry Hinton4. Trumpington5. Newnham6. Arbury and King's Hedges7. Histon and Impington8. Great ShelfordRecent work from our own team
Eight jobs from our own photos. Every one was laid by our team.
Block paving
Charcoal herringbone, buff chevron border
Resin driveways
Silver resin bound drive, charcoal edging
Patios
Grey block patio with steps
Block paving
Charcoal herringbone, curved border
Resin driveways
Golden resin, red brick border
Landscaping
Resin patio and artificial grass
Block paving
Interlocking diamond pattern in charcoal pavers
Block paving
Herringbone with drainage channel
Block paving, resin, tarmac, patios and landscaping, before and after.
What customers say
Verbatim from our Google listings. Names as they appear on the review.
4.9 from 30 Google reviews5.0 from 90 on Yell5.0 from 16 on Facebook
Ekhombk Dhekhob
November 2022 · Drive and patio
Would thoroughly recommend First 4 Driveways, really good quality work, and responsive to whatever your needs, happy to work around your own commitments..lots of case studies to share and advise .. we had over 200 square metres of drive and patio done and varying styles… looks great very impressed with the finished look.. 👍🏻👍🏻
Glyn Evans
July 2019 · Driveway
Tom and his team did a brilliant job. Competitively priced, turned up when they said they would, tailored the drive to our requirements, gave great advice and we are really happy with the end result. Always polite and friendly and I would recommend Tom to anybody.
Wendy Youngman
May 2025 · Resin driveway
We have just had our old driveway re-resined and are extremely pleased with the result. The men who laid the resin were super efficient and polite. They cleared everything away when finished and done an outstanding job
Why Cambridge homeowners choose First4Driveways
What customers mention in their reviews, and what we put in writing.
Quoted in person
We come out to measure up and talk it through, and the price goes in writing before anything is dug up.
Guarantees in writing
10 years on block paving, resin and patios, 5 on tarmac and gravel, handed over with the job.
Built on a proper base
Compacted MOT Type 1, proper edges and drainage falls under every drive.
Insured, tidy, on time
Public liability cover on every job. Reviewers mention sites left spotless and work done when promised.
Cambridge questions
Straight answers for homeowners in Cambridge.
Do you cover all of Cambridge?
Yes: the city, from Chesterton, Arbury and King's Hedges to Romsey, Cherry Hinton, Newnham and Trumpington, and the villages round it, including Histon, Impington, Great Shelford and Sawston. Not listed? Call and ask.
Do I need planning permission for a new drive in Cambridge?
Not usually, as long as the drive lets the rain through or drains to a lawn or border. You need permission for impermeable paving over 5 m² that drains to the road, and for some work in the city's 18 conservation areas or at a listed building; then the Local Plan's Policy 66 applies, and the council prefers permeable materials. On the Accordia estate off Brooklands Avenue any hard surface needs permission. A new access onto an A, B or C road usually needs permission too.
How does the dropped kerb work in Cambridge?
You apply to Cambridgeshire County Council and pay £414 (£314 back if it's refused); it decides within six weeks and the approval lasts up to two years. The council keeps no approved list, so the kerb is built by a contractor accredited for street works with £5 million cover, who books the road space. The space must be at least 5 m by 2.5 m. We lay the drive to meet the kerb.
Do I need a drain across my Cambridge drive?
If the drive falls towards the road, yes: Cambridgeshire County Council says permeable paving alone doesn't give it enough comfort, and wants a channel drain at the boundary, with the water dealt with on your side. If the drive falls away from the road, a permeable surface can usually take the rain on its own.
How much does a new driveway cost in Cambridge?
The same as anywhere we work: around £130 per m² for block paving or tarmac, around £200 for resin bound, and larger areas come in lower per m². The council's kerb fee is separate. The price card gives you a guide in seconds.
Which driveway suits Cambridge best?
For most homes, resin bound or permeable block paving: both let the rain through, which is what the city council prefers. With groundwater close below in much of the city, we check the ground on the survey before relying on a soakaway.
Other areas we cover
Based in Colchester, working across Essex and Hertfordshire. These towns have their own pages.
Colchester
Our base. Every service, across the town and the villages around it.
Our base
Chelmsford
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across Chelmsford. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Chelmsford
Braintree
About 16 miles from our Colchester base. Driveways, patios and landscaping with the same written guarantee.
Driveways in Braintree
Harlow
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across Harlow and Old Harlow. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Harlow
Hertford
Driveways, patios and landscaping across Hertford, Ware and the Hertfordshire villages around them.
Driveways in Hertford
St Albans
Block paving, resin driveways and patios across St Albans, Harpenden and the villages. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in St Albans
Bishop's Stortford
About 36 miles from our Colchester base along the A120. Driveways, patios and landscaping with the same written guarantee.
Driveways in Bishop's Stortford
Southend
Block paving, resin driveways and patios from Leigh-on-Sea to Shoeburyness. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Southend
Brentwood
About 37 miles down the A12. Driveways and patios across Brentwood, Shenfield, Hutton and Ingatestone.
Driveways in Brentwood
Stevenage
Block paving, resin driveways and patios from the Old Town to Great Ashby. Free survey and written quote.
Driveways in Stevenage
Also covering: Witham, Clacton-on-Sea, Maldon, Halstead, Basildon, Billericay, Wickford, Rayleigh, Saffron Walden, Burnham-on-Crouch and the villages between. Not listed? Call and ask.
Get a free quote
Let's talk about your drive or patio
First4Driveways is a family-run business based in Colchester. Tom comes out to quote every job in person, talks through the options and materials, and puts the price in writing before anything is dug up. Block paving, resin and patios carry a written 10-year workmanship guarantee; tarmac and gravel carry five years.
- Free survey and a written quote
- Written guarantee on every job
- Fully insured, public liability cover
- Family-run, based in Colchester
Need to talk now?
Call Tom directly
Start your free quote
Tell us about the drive or garden and we'll arrange a free survey.