In Portchester, Tarmac & Asphalt is built around waterside ground directly on Portsmouth Harbour, beside the walls of Portchester Castle: hot-rolled asphalt compacted over a prepared sub-base into a single dense, flat surface. Portchester’s own driveways are shaped by period frontages near the castle needing sympathetic treatment, versus standard estate drives further out, and waterside exposure directly on Portsmouth Harbour. That makes it a strong fit for larger driveways that can achieve a proper fall to a drainage point — worth knowing that standard tarmac is impermeable, so the drainage fall has to be built in at construction.
About Tarmac & Asphalt
Tarmac and asphalt driveways are formed from hot-rolled bitumen-bound aggregate, laid in one or two courses over a compacted stone sub-base and rolled while still hot to bond into a single dense, flat surface. It is quick to lay across a large area compared with unit-by-unit systems, copes well with sustained vehicle weight, and gives a classic, understated dark finish that suits both period and modern properties without competing with the architecture. Standard tarmac is not permeable, so correct falls and edge drainage need to be built in at construction rather than added afterward, and a sound, well-compacted sub-base is what actually determines how long the surface lasts rather than the tarmac layer alone.
Best suited to: larger driveways, properties wanting a low-fuss uniform finish, and sites that can achieve proper falls to a drainage point
Less suited to: sites with no viable drainage fall or where a permeable/SuDS-compliant surface is specifically wanted
Ground & property in Portchester
Portchester sits directly on Portsmouth Harbour beside the Roman and Norman walls of Portchester Castle, so waterside exposure is a real factor for any surface here. The older village core near the castle needs sympathetic material choices within its conservation area, while later estate housing further from the water follows a much more standard specification.
Planning note: the conservation area around the Roman and Norman walls of Portchester Castle limiting work on nearby historic frontages
Coastal / flood note: waterside exposure directly on Portsmouth Harbour