New and replacement driveways
Planning a new driveway in the Stort Valley or East Herts? Start with one short enquiry.
Tell us about the drive you have in mind, whether block paving, resin, tarmac, gravel or a dropped kerb. With your consent, we pass your enquiry to a local driveway installer, if one covers your postcode.
- One form for paving, resin, tarmac, gravel or a dropped kerb
- Sent to one local installer at most, never shared round a list
- Nothing to pay for asking, and the decision stays yours
This is an enquiry service, not an emergency call-out.
Surfaces and kerbs
What can we help with?
- About block paving driveways
Block paving driveways
A new block paved drive, a replacement for cracked concrete or tired slabs, or an extension to an existing one. Describe the space and we pass your enquiry to a local driveway installer, if one covers your postcode.
- About resin driveways
Resin driveways
A smooth, seamless resin drive, laid new or over a sound existing surface. Find out about resin-bound and resin-bonded finishes, and we pass your enquiry to a local driveway installer, if one covers your postcode.
- About tarmac driveways
Tarmac driveways
A new tarmac drive, a resurface over a worn one, or a long rural drive and turning area. Describe the space and we pass your enquiry to a local driveway installer, if one covers your postcode.
- About gravel driveways
Gravel driveways
A new gravel drive, a refresh of an old one, or gravel held in a stabilising grid. Describe the space and we pass your enquiry to a local driveway installer, if one covers your postcode.
- About dropped kerbs
Dropped kerbs
A lowered kerb so you can drive across the pavement to your own drive, and a driveway built ready for it. Find out how permission works and we pass your enquiry to a local driveway installer.
Built up in three layers
How it works
- Step 1 of 3
Tell us about the drive.
Pick the surface or job, add your postcode and describe the space, what covers it now and what you would like instead.
- Step 2 of 3
With your consent, we pass it on.
If a local driveway installer covers your postcode, your enquiry goes to that one installer and nobody else. If nobody does, we tell you and your details go no further.
- Step 3 of 3
Talk it over with them.
If your enquiry is passed on, the installer contacts you to discuss the layout, the drainage and the price. Going ahead is entirely your choice.
Before you enquire
Useful to have to hand
None of this is needed to send an enquiry, but it helps the installer understand the job sooner.
- Rough size of the area
Length and width in metres is plenty. Pacing it out works, and so does a photo taken from the pavement.
- What is there now
Lawn, old concrete, crazy paving, gravel or an existing drive. Mention anything that would need digging out or taking away.
- The surface you have in mind
Block paving, resin, tarmac or gravel, or say that you would like to talk the options through.
- Whether you need a dropped kerb
Driving across a pavement usually needs a dropped kerb, and the council has to approve one before it is built. Say if you have already applied.
Where we cover · the Stort Valley and East Herts
Areas covered
- SawbridgeworthPostcode districts CM21
- Bishop's StortfordPostcode districts CM22CM23
- HarlowPostcode districts CM17CM18CM19CM20
- BuntingfordPostcode districts SG9
- Much Hadham and the HadhamsPostcode districts SG10
Not listed? Send your enquiry anyway. We only pass it to a driveway installer who covers your postcode, if there is one. More about the areas we cover.
Before you enquire
Questions
Is Stort Valley Driveways a driveway company?
No. We are an independent enquiry service, and we do not design, lay or repair driveways. With your consent, we pass your enquiry to one local driveway installer, if one covers your postcode. That installer may pay us a fee for the introduction.
Do I need planning permission for a new front driveway?
Often not. In a house's front garden, a new or replacement hard surface larger than 5 square metres is permitted development if it is permeable or the rain runs off onto a lawn or border within the garden. If water would run onto the road instead, planning permission is needed. Flats and maisonettes do not have these rights, and a listed building may need listed building consent, so ask your council first.
Can my installer lower the kerb outside my house?
Not on their own say-so. A dropped kerb crosses the public pavement, so the highway authority must approve it: Hertfordshire County Council for the Hertfordshire towns, and Essex County Council, through Essex Highways, for Harlow.
What if nobody covers my postcode?
We tell you so, and your details are not passed on to anyone.
Is there a charge for enquiring?
No. Sending an enquiry is free and does not bind you to anything. The design, the surface and the price are agreed between you and the installer.
Which surface should I choose?
It depends on how the drive is used, how the ground falls and where rainwater can go. Each service page explains the trade-offs, and an installer can advise once they have seen the space.