Tarmac & Asphalt suits Purbrook well, given an older core alongside 20th-century estate development climbing the hill; in practice that means hot-rolled asphalt compacted over a prepared sub-base into a single dense, flat surface. What that means on the ground in Purbrook is sloping plots on the hill, where falls and drainage genuinely need solving before the surface choice. Where it earns its keep is larger driveways that can achieve a proper fall to a drainage point; the honest caveat is 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 Purbrook
Purbrook sits on the sloping chalk of Portsdown Hill’s northern face, with an older core lower down giving way to 20th-century estate development climbing the hill. Sloping plots here mean the falls and drainage genuinely need solving before the surface choice, much like the estate streets further down the slope in Waterlooville.