Expect about £2,400 to block pave a single car space in Christchurch, and up to £7,500 for a wide double. The blocks come in several types, and the one you pick changes the price, the look and whether you need planning permission. Decide the block first, before you take quotes, because a price only means something once every firm is pricing the same material.

It is worth pricing the other surfaces before you settle on block paving. Our driveways in Christchurch page sets tarmac, resin, concrete and gravel against each other.

What block paving costs in Christchurch

The block paving figures here come from two independent UK cost guides, both current for 2026. A one car drive in Christchurch is about 20m², a double nearer 50m². Measure yours and work from there.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Per square metre that works out at £90 to £150 for block paving laid. On top of that, taking out the old surface and carting it away adds £30 to £50 a square metre.

Which block you choose

The word block covers four different products. They do the same job and they do not cost or wear the same, so this is the choice that moves the price most.

• Concrete blocks. The most common and the lowest priced of the four, with the widest range of colours and shapes. The colour is a layer on the surface, so it softens over the years, faster on a drive that gets full sun.
• Clay pavers. Fired brick rather than moulded concrete. The colour runs right through the clay, so it holds far longer, and the surface is harder. They cost more than concrete and come in fewer shapes.
• Natural stone setts. Granite or sandstone cut into small blocks. The dearest option and the most hard wearing. They suit the older streets where flat concrete looks out of place.
• Permeable blocks. Concrete blocks laid with wider joints filled with grit, so water drains straight through into the stone underneath. They cost a little more than standard concrete, and on the right ground they settle the planning question below.

Colour and how it ages

Colour is where most block drives start to look tired. Choose it for how it will look in five years, not only on the day it is laid.

• Mixed tones hide the marks. A blend of two or three close shades shows tyre scuffs and leaf stains far less than a single flat colour.
• Colour holds better in clay. A concrete block gives up some of its colour in strong sun over the years. A clay paver keeps it, because the colour is the clay itself.
• The extreme shades mark most. A very light drive marks where an engine drips. A very dark one shows the white bloom that new block paving can throw in its first year, which fades on its own.

Permeable blocks and planning

Much of Christchurch sits on free draining river terrace gravel laid down by the Stour and the Avon, so permeable block paving works well here rather than sitting wet. It also answers the planning question. A drive that lets water through, or that drains onto a lawn or border, needs no planning permission at any size. A solid drive larger than 5m² that sheds its water onto the road does need BCP’s approval. The rule in full, and what the local ground is made of, are both on our driveways in Christchurch page.

Laying patterns and what they do

The pattern is not only a look. It decides how well the blocks hold together under a car.

• Herringbone is the driveway pattern. Each block locks against its neighbours, so the surface stays put under a car that brakes and turns on it. Laid at 45 degrees it locks the hardest.
• Stretcher bond is simpler and moves more. Blocks in straight offset rows, like a brick wall laid flat. It looks neat and it shifts more under a turning wheel, so it suits a path better than a drive.
• Basketweave is for looks. Pairs of blocks are turned at right angles to each other. It suits a patio, not a drive that carries weight.
• A soldier course frames the edge. A single row of blocks set end to end around the border. It holds the pattern in and gives a clean line against the lawn or the wall.

Keeping a block drive looking new

A block drive is the one hard surface you can take apart and put back. That is its real advantage over tarmac and concrete, and it is worth knowing before you choose.

• The joint sand needs topping up. The kiln dried sand between the blocks washes out slowly. Brushing fresh sand in every year or two keeps the blocks locked and keeps weeds down.
• Weeds grow in the joints, not through the blocks. A stabilising sand or a sealant slows them right down. Neither stops them for good, so the odd pull is normal.
• A sunk patch lifts and relays. If the ground settles, or a drain has to be reached, the blocks over it come up and go back down. Tarmac and concrete have to be cut out and repoured.
• Sealing is optional. It deepens the colour, resists oil stains and slows weeds. It has to be redone every few years, so weigh it up rather than assume it.

Getting quotes in Christchurch

Send the postcode and the rough size of the drive, and say which of the four blocks you are leaning towards. If the front slopes, or a tree sits close to the drive, mention that too.

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What do you need Choose one New block paving driveway New tarmac driveway New resin driveway New gravel driveway Driveway repair or patch Patio or path Dropped kerb Not sure yet

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Where we cover

All of BH23, from Christchurch town out to Highcliffe, Mudeford, Stanpit, Purewell, Somerford, Jumpers Common, Burton, Winkton and Hurn.

• BournemouthCheck Now
• PooleCheck Now
• ChristchurchAll Surfaces

Over in Bournemouth or Poole instead? The ground under the blocks changes, so each has its own page at block paving in Bournemouth and block paving in Poole.