Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, NSW
Concrete Driveways in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie
Plain, coloured and exposed aggregate driveways for homes from Mayfield to Morisset. Priced per square metre before anyone visits, poured to a written specification, with the council crossing sorted before the truck is booked.
- Rates in the open
- Every finish carries a per m² range on its own page, before you hand over a phone number.
- Two councils, both explained
- Newcastle's Type 1 application and Lake Macquarie's Minor Public Works, step by step, with the widths that apply.
- One concreter, in writing
- Your enquiry goes to a single local concreter who measures before pricing. No list of five, no call centre.
What gets quoted
Three finishes, the old slab, and everything beside it
The rates on this site are published so you can budget before anyone visits. Your price is the figure written on the quote once the site has been measured.
The second car
Widen it once, to the width council allows
Most driveways around Newcastle and Lake Macquarie were poured for one car. The fix is a strip beside the original, dowelled into it and laid on the same base, so the two read as one slab. Inside your boundary the width is your decision.
At the crossing it is council's. Lake Macquarie allows a residential crossing no wider than 4 metres at the kerb, wings not counted, and 5 metres at the boundary line. City of Newcastle's drawing A1300 gives a double crossing 2.5 to 4.5 metres wide. A wider crossing is a new approval, lodged before the pour.
Worked, not guessed
What a driveway costs here, at real sizes
Three common jobs priced from the same rates every page on this site uses. Run your own dimensions through the calculator, then have the site measured for the figure that counts.
$3,420 to $4,680
$7,800 to $11,100
$7,800 to $9,900
The piece council owns
Two councils, two rulebooks for the crossing
From your boundary to the kerb the driveway sits on council land, and a new, wider or replacement crossing is approved before it is poured. Neither council uses the NSW Planning Portal for it. Checked September 2026.
| City of Newcastle | Lake Macquarie City Council | |
|---|---|---|
| Application | Section 138 (Type 1) application for a driveway and, if needed, a road opening permit | Minor Public Works application, "Application for access to property", under Section 138 |
| Crossing thickness | 100 mm minimum | 125 mm minimum |
| Widest crossing | 2.5 to 3.0 m for a single, 2.5 to 4.5 m for a double, set square to the kerb | Between 3.0 m and 4.0 m at the kerb, wings not counted, up to 5.0 m at the boundary |
| Finish on the crossing | Plain broom finish. Coloured, exposed aggregate and stencilled may be considered. Stamped concrete and sealer not permitted. | Plain preferred. Coloured or stencilled when sealed non-slip. Exposed aggregate only with 75 percent or more rhyolite or basalt. Council reinstates plain grey only. |
| Turnaround | Not published by council | 10 to 15 working days when nothing is unusual; allow about 21 days, council says |
How it runs
From enquiry to a cured driveway
- 1
Get in touch
Use the form or the number. Tell us the suburb, roughly how long and wide, and the finish you have in mind.
- 2
Measured on site
One local concreter takes levels, checks where the truck can stand and looks at the crossing.
- 3
Priced in writing
One figure, stating thickness, mesh, finish, what the crossing will be and who does the council paperwork.
- 4
Approved, then poured
Where the crossing is touched, the council letter comes first. Then base, steel, pour, joints, cure.
Straight answers
Before you enquire
What does a concrete driveway cost in Newcastle?
Guide rates supplied and laid: plain concrete $95 to $130 per m², coloured $115 to $160, exposed aggregate $130 to $185. A 36 m² single driveway in plain concrete is about $3,420 to $4,680; taking an old driveway out first adds around $35 per m². The rates on this site are published so you can budget before anyone visits. Your price is the figure written on the quote once the site has been measured.
Who actually pours the driveway?
Newcastle Driveway Concreters is a referral service for residential driveway work in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie. Each enquiry goes to one independent local concreter, who looks at the site, puts a price in writing and does the work under their own licence and insurance. Quote, contract and workmanship warranty are all between you and that concreter.
Do I need council approval for a new or wider driveway?
Yes for the crossing, the strip from your boundary out to the gutter, which sits on council land and is consented under Section 138 of the Roads Act. In Newcastle that is a Type 1 application; in Lake Macquarie a Minor Public Works application; both go through the council's own system, not the NSW Planning Portal. The DA or CDC for the house does not include it. What you pour on your own side of the boundary needs no road consent as a rule.
How wide can my driveway be?
On your own land, as wide as the lot and the garage allow. At the crossing it is council's call: Lake Macquarie allows up to 4 metres at the kerb, wings not counted, and 5 metres at the boundary line, while Newcastle's A1300 gives a double crossing 2.5 to 4.5 metres. Any change to the crossing width is a fresh approval.
What is not quoted through this site?
Slabs for dwellings, pool shells and concreting for businesses. This site covers driveways for homes, plus the paths, shed slabs, patios and hardstands that go in beside them.
Where