The typical resin job in South Birmingham is an interwar semi in Hall Green, Yardley Wood, Kings Norton or Northfield with a cracked concrete side drive or a front lawn that has become a parking space. Resin-bound suits those fronts because, laid on a permeable base, it lets rain soak away instead of running into the road. That matters here. In 2016 and again in 2018, storms flooded homes in the Bourn Brook and Rea valleys, and the council and the Bournville Village Trust both push hard for front gardens that drain.
Ground and Gate doesn't do the work. We pass your enquiry to one local driveway specialist who covers B13, B14, B28, B29, B30, B31 and B38, and they confirm a fixed price with you directly.
What a resin driveway costs in South Birmingham
| Job | Indicative price |
|---|---|
| Resin-bound on a new base, per m² | £75–£115 |
| Resin-bound over sound tarmac or concrete, per m² | £55–£80 |
| Digging out a lawn for a new base, per m² | £10–£18 |
| Edgings, per metre | £25–£45 |
| Two-car drive over sound tarmac (about 30m²) | £2,200–£3,390 |
| Two-car drive on grass, new base (about 30m²) | £3,100–£4,980 |
If your drive is concrete that is level and not cracking, an overlay is the cheapest route. But resin over concrete is only as permeable as the concrete, so a front drive over 5m² laid that way needs a drainage channel to a soakaway or border, or planning permission. Breaking out old concrete for a new permeable base costs £20–£35 per m², which lifts a 30m² drive to about £3,400–£5,490. The block paving vs resin cost guide sets the two side by side.
What pushes the price up here
- Breaking out concrete. Replacing an old concrete drive costs more per m² than digging out a lawn.
- Long, narrow side drives. A single-width drive to a garage has a lot of edge per square metre, so trims and edging are a bigger share of the price.
- Ground that holds water. Council appraisals describe Mercia Mudstone under Moseley giving a clayish soil, and alluvial clay and silt in lower Selly Park. Where the ground won't take the water, the specialist adds a channel or soakaway, priced separately.
- Choosing a material the Trust or council will accept. In Bournville's Historic Zone and the Article 4 streets, you may need a natural stone blend and stone or brick edging rather than the cheapest trim.
- Levels at the pavement. Drives that fall towards the road may need regrading so water doesn't run onto the footway.
Flooding in the Bourn Brook and Rea valleys
Birmingham City Council is the Lead Local Flood Authority, responsible for surface water flooding, and it published investigations after the storms of June 2016 and May 2018.
- June 2016. About 111mm of rain fell in 48 hours near Selly Oak, a quarter of it in one half-hour. On 16 June, 33 homes in Selly Park North flooded inside, on Pershore Road, Riverside Drive, St John's Road, Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, after the Bourn Brook breached.
- May 2018. The same streets flooded again, with 23 reports of internal flooding. Across the city there were 180 internal flooding reports in 41 areas.
- Kingfisher Way, Bournville, 2016. Water running off the slope overtopped the kerbs, many of them dropped kerbs at drive entrances, and flowed into a house set lower than the road.
That last point is in the council's current dropped crossings policy too. It warns that a new dropped kerb can let water from the road run onto your drive and towards the house, and recommends drainage or flood resilience measures. On a low-lying plot, ask the specialist to lay the falls away from the house and include a channel at the pavement edge. You also need a dropped kerb to drive across the pavement; the South Birmingham area page covers the council's process.
Bournville Estate and the Article 4 roads
The Bournville Village Trust's 2024 design guide sets firm limits on drives:
- At least one third of any front garden must stay landscaped. The other two thirds can be hard surface, and that includes the grass verge in front.
- Hard surfaces must drain into an area of soft landscaping, and porous paving needs proper drainage with an overflow.
- In the Historic Zone, which matches the Bournville conservation areas, tarmac and imprinted concrete are not permitted, and drives should sit to the side of the house rather than in front of the door.
- The Trust only considers a driveway application with Birmingham's dropped kerb approval attached. It gives conditional approval at that stage and full approval once the kerb is built.
The guide doesn't name resin. It asks for high-quality permeable materials with a natural, textured finish in simple colours. A resin-bound drive in a natural stone blend can meet that, but the Trust decides. The Trust charges a fee for a new hardstanding or a change in its size or materials; its price list has the figure.
Outside the estate, Birmingham's Article 4 Directions bring hard surfaces under planning control in several conservation areas:
- Selly Park. The 2009 direction covers creating, replacing or enlarging a hard standing for parking, so resurfacing an existing drive in resin needs permission on the listed houses.
- St Agnes, Moseley. The whole area is covered. The council's 2022 appraisal names block-paved drives on Billesley Lane as part of the loss of front gardens.
- Moseley. Hard surfaces need permission on the named roads in the 2005 direction, including parts of Park Hill, Chantry Road and Salisbury Road.
What the job involves
- Checks and permissions. The specialist confirms the drive size, the condition of any old surface, and whether the Trust, an Article 4 direction or the 5m² rule applies.
- Base. Either repairing and priming sound concrete, or digging out and laying a permeable sub-base with falls away from the house.
- Edging and laying. Trims or block edging go in, then resin and stone are mixed in batches and trowelled to an even depth.
- Curing. You can usually walk on it within hours and drive on it after a day or two.
Questions about resin driveways in South Birmingham
Does the Bournville Village Trust allow resin driveways?
Its design guide doesn't mention resin by name. It wants permeable, porous materials with a natural finish, at least a third of the front garden kept green, and no tarmac or imprinted concrete in the Historic Zone. A natural-coloured resin-bound drive can fit those rules, but apply to the Trust before you book anyone.
Do I need permission to resurface my existing drive in Selly Park?
Very possibly. Selly Park's Article 4 Direction covers replacing a hard standing as well as creating one, on the houses it lists. Check your address against the list in the council's 2022 appraisal, or ask the conservation team, before ordering the resin.
Will a resin drive stop my Stirchley front garden flooding?
It won't stop river flooding, but resin-bound on a permeable base soaks up rain that falls on the drive itself, instead of adding to run-off in the road. On streets near the Rea, ask for falls away from the house and a channel at the pavement edge.
Can resin go over the original concrete drive on my Hall Green semi?
Yes, if the concrete is level, well drained and free of deep cracks or sinking. Over concrete it costs £55–£80 per m². Bear in mind the finished drive is only as permeable as the concrete under it, which matters for the 5m² front-garden rule.