Tarmac & Asphalt on low-lying harbourside ground around the tidal mill pond — the kind found across Emsworth — means hot-rolled asphalt compacted over a prepared sub-base into a single dense, flat surface. Locally, the driveway most often needed is one dealing with tight period frontages in the conservation area, with tidal flood risk close to the water, and tidal flood risk around Emsworth’s mill pond and Chichester Harbour frontage. It is best suited to larger driveways that can achieve a proper fall to a drainage point, though 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 Emsworth
Emsworth is a historic Georgian and Victorian harbourside town built around a tidal mill pond on the edge of Chichester Harbour, and a genuine conservation area covering much of the centre limits what can be done to its listed and period frontages. Tidal flood risk close to the water is a real factor that a standard inland street simply doesn’t have to consider.
Planning note: a conservation area across the historic harbourside centre with a number of listed buildings
Coastal / flood note: tidal flood risk around Emsworth’s mill pond and Chichester Harbour frontage