Resin suits the deep interwar fronts of Streetly, Aldridge and Park Hall, where a tired concrete or tarmac drive covers most of the garden. It also suits the open lawns on the Bloxwich and Beechdale estates that are becoming first drives. In both cases the real question in Walsall is water. The borough is steep, heavily built up and prone to surface water flooding after heavy storms, and the ground under many fronts drains badly.
Ground and Gate doesn't do the work. We pass your enquiry to one local resin specialist who covers WS1 to WS9, and they confirm a fixed price with you directly.
What resin driveways cost in Walsall
| 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 |
The common Walsall job is replacing an old concrete drive rather than laying on grass. Breaking out concrete costs £20–£35 per m², against £10–£18 for a lawn, so a 30m² replacement comes to about £3,400–£5,490. An overlay is cheaper, but only where the old drive is sound and already drains. The block paving vs resin cost guide sets the two surfaces side by side.
What pushes the price up here
- Old concrete to break out. Adds £20–£35 per m² before the new base goes down.
- An overlay that isn't permeable. Resin over sealed tarmac or concrete is only as porous as what lies under it. On a front drive over 5m² that can mean adding a channel drain and soakaway, typically £600–£1,200.
- Poor ground for a soakaway. On heavy till or shallow groundwater the specialist may design a deeper permeable base instead, which adds stone and digging.
- The dropped kerb. To drive across the pavement you need one. Walsall wants the drive built to the footway level before it installs the crossing, so the two jobs have to be planned together. The Walsall driveways page covers the council's process.
- Edges and shape. Curved borders and lots of edge per square metre need more trim and cutting.
Surface water in Walsall
Walsall Council is the Lead Local Flood Authority for the borough, which makes it responsible for surface water flooding. It shares a flood strategy with Dudley, Sandwell and Wolverhampton. That strategy says the borough's steep, urban landscape makes it prone to local surface water flooding. It names hotspots that flood fairly often, including the Darlaston Road area, Brickyard Road in Aldridge, the A461 Lichfield Road and Walsall Arboretum. It singles out 28 June 2012, when thunderstorms caused widespread flooding across the borough.
The same strategy describes "urban creep": paved gardens and extensions that add hard surface without planning control, sending more water into drains at peak times. The 5m² rule exists to stop exactly that. A resin-bound drive on a permeable base lets rain soak through where it falls, so it meets the rule and does not add to the load on the road gullies. See the 5m² rule for front gardens.
Will a soakaway work on Walsall ground?
Often not well. The flood strategy describes most of Walsall as Carboniferous mudstones and sandstones with coal measures, overlain by glacial till, silt, sand and gravel. Around Aldridge the bedrock is limestone and sandstone that forms a principal aquifer. It also records high groundwater along the Sandwell and Walsall border, and warns that soakaways may not suit places where groundwater sits close to the surface.
Walsall's guidance for developers asks for percolation tests to BRE Digest 365 and puts soakaways at least 5m from a building's foundations. Few front gardens have that much room, which is one more reason a fully permeable resin-bound build usually beats tarmac draining to a soakaway here. If a soakaway is still needed, see drainage and soakaways.
Highgate and other conservation areas
Walsall has 18 conservation areas. In one of them, part of Highgate, an Article 4 direction from 1991 removes permitted development rights for a hard surface fronting a public road, and for forming a new access onto an unclassified road. Inside the area on its plan, even a permeable resin drive needs planning permission. The Great Barr direction also covers new accesses, though not hard surfaces.
Across all 18 areas, and on any A or B road, Walsall needs a planning application before it will build a dropped kerb. Factor that into the timetable before the resin is booked.
What the job involves
- Survey. The specialist checks the old surface, the falls and where water will go.
- Base. Either the old drive is repaired and primed, or it is dug out and a permeable base laid.
- Laying. Resin and dried stone are mixed in batches and trowelled to an even depth inside fixed edges.
- Curing. Foot traffic within hours; cars after a day or two, weather allowing.
Questions about resin driveways in Walsall
Does a permeable resin drive in Highgate, Walsall still need planning permission?
In the part of Highgate covered by the 1991 Article 4 direction, yes. The direction removes the right to lay any hard surface fronting a public road, whether it drains or not. Check the plan on the council's Article 4 page first.
Is resin a good idea on a street in Aldridge that floods in storms?
It is one of the better options, because resin-bound on a permeable base lets water soak in instead of running to the road. Brickyard Road in Aldridge is one of the hotspots Walsall's flood strategy names. Pair the drive with falls away from the house and a base deep enough to hold a storm.
Can I lay my resin drive before Walsall builds the dropped kerb?
Walsall wants the drive in place first, built to the level of the footway, before it installs the crossing. It recommends doing that only after permission is given and the road opening permit is allocated.
Will resin over my old concrete drive in Streetly meet the 5m² rule?
Only if water can get away. Resin over sealed concrete is not permeable, so the drive needs to fall to a lawn, a border or a soakaway. Otherwise the concrete comes out and a permeable base goes in.