Southsea is characterised by dense Victorian and Edwardian terraces and converted townhouses, many within the seafront conservation area, which shapes how Tarmac & Asphalt gets specified here: hot-rolled asphalt compacted over a prepared sub-base into a single dense, flat surface. The typical job in Southsea itself deals with extremely narrow frontages with heavy on-street parking pressure near the seafront, and direct seafront exposure to salt-laden air along the Southsea promenade. It suits larger driveways that can achieve a proper fall to a drainage point, and it is 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 Southsea
Southsea’s dense Victorian and Edwardian terraces and converted townhouses sit close to the seafront, and a good number of them fall inside the Southsea seafront conservation area, which shapes what can be done to the original frontage. The ground here is shallow and low-lying, so getting the falls right matters, and salt-laden air off the promenade weathers an exposed surface faster than it would a few streets inland.
Planning note: the Southsea seafront conservation area constraining changes to many original Victorian and Edwardian frontages
Coastal / flood note: direct seafront exposure to salt-laden air along the Southsea promenade