Here’s a current snapshot of the key tarmac and driveway surfacing trends for households in the United Kingdom (2025–early 2026) — based on recent industry insights into homeowner preferences and surfacing innovations:

1. From Plain Black to Stylish & Customised Tarmac

Homeowners are moving away from traditional plain black surfaces and embracing coloured and decorative tarmac options. These can include earthy tones like slate grey, deep browns and subtle terracotta that complement property styles and landscaping, while still offering the durability of classic tarmac. Enhanced surface colours are now easily achieved with blends of natural stone in a proprietary resin mix – Resinbound Surfacing. Glenco is an Elite installer of Sureset Resin Systems and offers the full range of coloured blends and full installation of free draining sub bases and permeable base layers – Sureset is permeable and fully SUDS compliant.

2. Patterned & Textured Finishes

Instead of a uniform flat surface, many are choosing imprinted or patterned concrete that mimics the look of cobblestone, tile, or geometric designs. Decorative edging and borders (e.g., block paving, granite, brick) are also being added to enhance visual appeal and define zones within the driveway.

3. Sustainable & Permeable Surfaces

Sustainability is a major driver across all driveway materials — including tarmac. Permeable tarmac that allows water to drain through into the ground (SUDS-compliant) is increasingly in demand to help manage rainwater runoff, reduce local flood risk, and comply with planning and environmental guidelines.

4. Functional Driveways for Modern Needs

Homeowners now think of driveways as more than just parking spots. Trends include:

• Multi-zone layout designs — separate areas for vehicles, EV charging points, footpaths, bin storage, or even patio style spaces.

• Integration with EV infrastructure, such as planning space for home charging.

5. Smart & Integrated Features

Lighting is becoming a functional design element: LED or solar-powered lights built into edging or surface features add safety, style, and improve usability at night. Smart driveway elements (e.g., motion-activated lights) are also growing.

6. Mixed Materials & Landscaping

Although purely tarmac driveways remain popular for durability and cost-efficiency, many homeowners blend tarmac with resin, gravel, block paving, or planted borders to create visually striking, layered designs that tie into overall landscaping schemes.

7. Eco-Conscious Installation Practices

Beyond surface materials, contractors are using recycled bitumen and recycled aggregate mixes, eco-friendly sealants, and greener construction practices that reduce carbon footprint — reflecting broader consumer demand for greener home improvements.

8. Cost & Practical Considerations Still Matter

While design trends evolve, the core benefits of tarmac — cost-effectiveness, weather resilience, low maintenance, and relatively quick installation — still make it a very strong choice for UK households compared to some premium alternatives.

Practical Notes for UK Households

• Permeability and drainage are especially important given the UK’s variable climate and surface water concern.

• The timing of installation (often May–September for best curing conditions) is also something homeowners consider when planning projects, although this applies to all surfacing types, not just tarmac.

 A new path around the garden of a luxury house in Chalfont.

A skilled paver had constructed a beautiful sandstone paved patio with tiered levels and curved step details. The new path was constructed around the patio with granite sett edging detail. The path was constructed to a porous specification; with a free draining Mot type 3 sub base, 20mm open graded macadam base course, 10mm porous surface course and the Winter Bronze Sureset resinbound paving surface. A  4-6mm aggregate size was used in the blend and materials were compated with an acrylic bladed power float to achieve optimal compaction. Glenco always uses mechanical proprietary compaction equipment for resinbound surfaces, in this way we can ensure a billiard table finish and always bring Quality to the Surface!

Winter Bronze Sureset Resinbound Paving

Winter Bronze Sureset Resinbound Paving

Millers Court resurfacing project was undertaken in the summer and was a combination of precise construction works and logistical planing as the area remained open to the residents during the reconstruction. The project was broken down into three phases, each phase was completed before moving on to the next. Works involved planing down the old surface to reduce levels for a new surface course. Replacing the clay pavers with new pavers on concrete bed, pavers laid to restore original levels and falls. The base was regulated with tarmac to bring the area inline to surface course tolerances. Finally a K140 tack coat and a new 10mm Tuffdrive proprietary surface course with polymodified binders laid to 40mm compacted thickness. The new surface laid to falls to original drainage, kerbs and crossovers. It was with great satisfaction that wer were able to see the new surface clear surface water after heavy rain and the courtyard looked like new! Quality was brought to the surface!

March saw Glenco correcteting some issues with an old cobbled crossover at the entrance to Millers Court in Chiswick West London. There was some historical subsidence and concrete heave to the cobbled section of the crossover. This was preventing surface water from flowing across the cobbles to the surface water gullies on the other side, resulting in standing water issues. Affected areas of the crossover were broken out and the same coobbles cleaned and prepared for reuse. With correct levels established cobbles were relaid on a strong concrete mortar mix and relaid to the original pattern to match the adjoining areas and then carefully pointed in with wetmix concrete. Surface water was finally able to flow through the gutter section of the crossover to the original gullies. Small adjustments to targeted areas can make a substantial overall improvement – bringing quality to the surface!

Footpath entrance at Gatcombe Mews in Acton was amended to allow easy footpath access for pedestrians using push chairs, trollies or wheel chairs.
The existing Fig. 7 kerbs were removed and replaced with a left and right drop kerb and crossover kerbs at the level of the adjoining drive.
Levels of the footpath were adjusted to a suitable gradient to take levels from original path levels to the level of the existing drive. This was achieved by a new tarmac ramp in AC6 bituminous macadam to reconfigured levels and falls. All macadam finished flush to new and existing vertical faces, achieving a smooth seemless finsih – Glenco bringing quality to the surface!

The importance of maintaining the surface integrity of the road surface going into the winter months can not be over emphasised. Where surfaces are pot holed, open cracks or broken – water will penetrate the base and sub base layers and will expand the problem areas during the freeze thaw cycle associated with the winter months. The effects of this action can be quite pronounced and very noticeable approaching the spring. Pot holes will expand significantly, cracks and broken areas will quickly degrade into larger problem areas. Fine material from the broken surface will also act as an abrasive on areas of intact surface, further accelerating the decay.

For the reasons mentioned above it is important to take a proactive approach going into the winter and treat decayed areas of surface and pot holes with patch repairs to seal the road surface and maintain the surface integrity. Glenco will disc cut neatly around pot holes and break out the decayed macadam. The areas are then tack coated and then brought up to surface course tolerance with compacted tarmac. A new surface course is then laid and thoroughly compacted flush with the adjoining surface and finaly a hot pour bitumen joint sealant applied to ensure no water ingress is possible to the new repair. Where applicable existing line marking is reinstated with thermoplastic line marking. Although it is difficult to make a patch repair a thing of beauty – at Glenco, we will nevertheless try, all as part of our commitment to ‘Bring Quality to the Surface

Fulham Football Club – Training Ground – Flood Relief Scheme

October has seen the Glenco team presented with an interesting challenge to alleviate the severe flooding on the site. The flooding occurred on a regular basis due to inadequate drainage to the hard landscaped areas which predominantly consisted of a series of soakaways which quickly became inundated during intense rain events or longer periods of rain. The large catchment area of the main car park was on a pronounced fall and served by one gulley – once this was overtopped torrents of surface water flooded adjoining areas of the site and even the goal keeping training area which was at the lower end of the site.

Glenco proposed a flood relief scheme which involved the installation of a full sized road gulley to catch the run off from the main car park. Also an existing gulley in the middle car park would be connected to the main surface water pipe and a new yard gulley installed on the other side of the middle car park to catch all the surface water run off from this area too. Finally the main surface water pipe would cut through another 20 metres of car park surface to pick up the storm water culvert. Finally the site would have proper connected drainage rather than relying on the far less effective soakaway system, that had resulted in large areas of standing water around the site after heavy rain events.

The main gulley was to be connected to a storm water culvert located on site, but more than 60 metres away. It would be necessary to excavate through 35 linear metres of soft landscape, under an existing astroturf walkway and then through 30 metres of car park surface, picking up the other two surface water gullies into the proposal. A careful fall of 1 CM per metre maintained an even depth to the trench and was carefully maintained with the laser level. Due to the preponderance of services running through the area, great caution was required while excavating and copious scans where made a recorded with cable avoidance tools. Some services were not marked on the plans and some did not show up on the CAT scan – water pipes in polyethylene wont show up so excavating was at all times precarious!

As the site is a high end facility, great importance is attached to the quality of the reinstatement too and also maintaining access to the various facilities used by the players and staff. Only small runs were attempted at a time and then these sections needed to be reinstated professionally to maintain access and to minimise any disruption. Part of the success of the scheme was to effect a very complicated drainage work without occasioning any inconvenience to the users of the facility! The tarmac will be reinstated on a concrete base and during normal usage will quickly blend in with the original car park and drive accesses.

This will have been an interesting challenge where the quality of what is under the surface will be as important as the usual quality that is brough to the surface by the Glenco team!

Radnor Close Resurfacing project required some logistal challenges in addition to a full plane off of the surface, regulating areas, crack sealing and a proprietary membrane, before the application of a bitumen emulsion tack coat and a machine laid 10mm Tuffdrive proprietary stone mastic ashalt surface course with polymodified binders.

Preparatory works included resetting two surface water gullies, one had collapsed and the other was lowered slightly to enhance the very flat falls. The surface was planed first witha 1m planer and on the second day 350mm smaller planer with mechanical sweeper was used for the less accessible areas and the entrance crossover which was Council owned which complicated proceedings. This resulted in the need for a traffic management scheme to move pedestrians safely into the carriageway with ramps and barriers. Due to the busy nature of the access and the extent of the trough traffic we needed to book a 40 metre section of parking suspension for our low loaderer, contractor vehicles and delivery lorries to safely access the site.

The new tarmac surface, with attendant thermoplastic line marking has really given a lift to the appearance of Radnor Close and the great contrast from the before and after pictires has certainly emphasised how Glenco brought Quality to the Surface!

As Civil Engineers and surfacing specialists we at Glenco Civil Engineers get the above question asked allot and specially nowadays when the weather is changing. Every winter, roads across the United Kingdom face a seasonal menace: potholes. While potholes can appear year-round, their numbers and severity spike as temperatures drop, particularly in high-traffic areas. But what exactly causes this? and why are UK roads so vulnerable during winter?
1. The Freeze-Thaw Cycle: Nature’s Pothole Maker
The UK’s climate—marked by frequent rain and fluctuating winter temperatures—makes it an ideal breeding ground for this freeze-thaw process. Roads that may have small cracks or slightly weakened areas become particularly vulnerable, leading to an increase in potholes as the freeze-thaw cycle plays out over the winter months.
2. Increased Moisture from Rain and Snow
The UK’s famously wet winters add another layer to the problem. Rain, sleet, and snow mean that UK roads are constantly exposed to moisture. With nearly 150 days of rain per year on average, water is almost always present on the roads in winter, seeping into cracks and laying the groundwork for future potholes. Snow and ice can worsen this effect by melting and refreezing in cycles that speed up pothole formation.
3. Heavy Traffic Strains and Weakens Roads
The heavy volume of traffic on UK roads, particularly on motorways and city streets, is another significant factor in pothole formation. Larger vehicles like buses, trucks, and delivery lorries place additional stress on the road surface. As these vehicles pass over areas where water has weakened the asphalt, the added weight and pressure can lead to a quick deterioration of the road surface.
4. De-icing Salt and Its Impact
To keep roads safe, local authorities spread de-icing salts to prevent slippery surfaces. However, road salt can accelerate the deterioration of asphalt. As salt melts snow and ice, it forms a saline solution that can penetrate the asphalt’s pores. Over time, salt can degrade the binding agents in asphalt, causing it to crack and erode more easily.
In winter, this creates a perfect storm: roads become both more porous and more susceptible to freeze-thaw damage.
Long-Term Solutions to Winter Potholes
Addressing the pothole problem requires proactive measures to strengthen the roads before winter arrives. Here is what Glenco Civil Engineers would recommend:
1. Timely Repairs and Resurfacing
Repairing minor cracks and fractures early can prevent them from developing into full-fledged potholes. Regular inspections and maintenance of high-traffic roads help identify problem areas before the freeze-thaw cycle can worsen them. Resurfacing solutions, such as high-quality tarmac or asphalt overlays, add a fresh protective layer to roads, giving them added durability during winter months
2. Quality Materials
Using high-grade asphalt with better water-resistant properties can go a long way in slowing down the formation of potholes. Modified asphalts that are more resistant to moisture and freezing temperatures are a valuable investment, particularly in climates like the UK’s.
3. Improved Drainage
Ensuring proper drainage systems along roadways can prevent water from pooling on the surface, reducing the amount that seeps into cracks. This is a key factor in mitigating the impact of the freeze-thaw cycle. In areas with high traffic and frequent winter weather, designing better drainage solutions can make a substantial difference.
So, the next time you spot a pothole on a cold, rainy day, remember that it’s the result of natural cycles and traffic pressures. It also serves as a reminder of why regular road surfacing, tarmacking, and proper drainage are essential investments in our infrastructure.