Resin vs block paving vs tarmac: which driveway suits a Bath home?
For most Bath homes: block paving if you want traditional looks and easy repairs (£70-£120/m², 20-30 years); resin bound if you want a modern finish, zero weeds and no planning issues (£70-£120/m², 15-25 years); tarmac if budget or size leads (£45-£85/m², 15-25 years). The full trade-offs are below.
Last updated: September 2026.
The short version
All three are proven on Bath ground when the sub-base is done properly. The real decision is what you value: looks (block paving's range, and its period-friendly sett styles), convenience (resin's no-weeds, no-planning package), or value (tarmac, especially over 60m²). Everything else is detail, but the detail below is where money is saved and mistakes are avoided.
Cost: tarmac wins, the other two tie
Tarmac is 30 to 40% cheaper per metre than the paved options, and its advantage grows with area: on an 80m² drive the saving against resin can reach £2,000 to £3,000. Resin and block paving cost about the same per metre installed, though permeable block systems push blocks higher.
Drainage and planning: resin's free pass
Resin bound is permeable, so it is exempt from the rule that paving over 5m² of a front garden needs planning permission. Standard block paving and tarmac are not: they need either consent or drainage to a lawn, border or soakaway. If your frontage has nowhere obvious to drain to, resin is often the cheapest compliant option even where block paving looks cheaper on paper.
The Bath look: period property changes the equation
In much of Bath this is the deciding factor. On Georgian and Victorian frontages, plain black tarmac is the weakest choice visually, while tumbled or sett-style block paving in brindle or buff looks genuinely at home. Resin in a natural golden or silver-grey aggregate blend works well too, and gravel (not in this head-to-head but always worth considering in Bath) is the traditional surface of all. On the modern estates, the equation flips: resin's seamless finish suits new brickwork best.
Longevity and repairs: blocks are forever (if based right)
Block paving's hidden superpower is repairability: lift, re-sand, relay, and the repair is invisible. Resin patches show, and tarmac patches show more. But all three live or die on the sub-base: most "surface failures" in Bath are groundwork failures underneath.
Slopes: a quiet Bath consideration
On the city's many sloping drives, resin's bound, joint-free surface resists water erosion best; tarmac is fine with a proper channel drain; block paving is fine too but its joints need keeping sanded. Gravel on a slope needs stabilisation grids.
Maintenance reality check
Resin: wash occasionally, nothing else. Tarmac: keep fuel spills off, little else. Block paving: kiln-dried sand in the joints, prompt weed removal, occasional re-sanding. None of it is onerous, but block paving is the only one that asks anything of you regularly.
| Factor | Resin bound | Block paving | Tarmac |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per m² | £70-£120 | £70-£120 (permeable £90-£140) | £45-£85 |
| Lifespan | 15-25 yrs | 20-30 yrs | 15-25 yrs |
| Permeable? | Yes, no planning needed | Only permeable systems | No, drainage or permission needed |
| Weeds & maintenance | Almost none | Joint sanding, occasional weeds | Almost none |
| Repairs | Patchable but visible | Lift & relay, invisible | Patchable, ages visibly |
| Look | Smooth, modern, seamless | Traditional, patterned | Plain (improved with block edging) |
| Bath period fit | Good in muted blends | Excellent in sett styles | Weakest on period streets |
| Install time (50m²) | 2-3 days | 3-5 days | 2-3 days |
| Watch out for | Non-UV resin yellowing | Skimped sub-base sinking | Unsupported edges crumbling |