Do I need planning permission?

[_dobbo_]

So here at Chez Dobbo we only really have space to park one car on the drive and as a three car family another spot would be useful.

I'd like to take out our front wall to allow us to park in front of the house - a couple of houses up the street have done the same and it works well.



So if I want to take out the section marked in red, do I need planning permission? There is already a dropped kerb there, this wall faces onto a private road that runs past the side of my house.

There is another issue - the signs on my wall. Firstly am I obliged to have these signs fixed to my wall? Secondly can I have a smaller two line one made and move it to the left?

Any advice gratefully received. Please ignore the delightful net curtains upstairs... We haven't got to that room yet!

Edited by _dobbo_ on Monday 11th October 21:26

[blackburn]

Call the local highways office and ask them? We've just moved house and I considered taking down part of the front wall to create an extra parking space. There's no dropped kerb there so I checked with the highways office. They had no problem with my plan, but they wanted over £900 to put in a drop kerb... We're sticking to the main drive for now!

[_dobbo_]

It's a private road that has not been adopted by the highways agency - so I assumed I don't need to contact them. I suppose you're right I could just contact them anyway!

I have a right of access to my drive which would include the part of the wall I want to knock down - but I have no right to park on the private road itself.

[TooLateForAName]

I'd check the vehicular access to the new driveway.

What is the front garden made off at the moment? There are rules now about how porous the surface has to be - to do with drainage and flooding.

[Globulator]

Why give anyone the chance to say no?
Just do it.

[JohnRS4]

You may need to check regarding access over the private road as the when we lived in a private road we had to pay the owner of the strip of land to be able to cross with a vehicle. You might want to check on your deeds regarding what land you own and access etc

[edc]

Who owns the pavement? You could knock the wall down and some ar*e decides to put a street sign on a stand concreted into the pavement right across your new hole!

[cjs]

Globulator said:

Why give anyone the chance to say no?
Just do it.

+1 Just do it, you can always rebuild the wall if there are issues in the future.

[anonymous-user]

cjs said:

Globulator said:

Why give anyone the chance to say no?
Just do it.

+1 Just do it, you can always rebuild the wall if there are issues in the future.

As a old work colleague used to say, "just do it, and ask for forgiveness later"

[_dobbo_]

We have a right to vehicular access down that side of the house as that is where our driveway is already - so the extra driveway would enter onto the existing area that we already have access to - if that makes sense?

Behind the wall is a load of stones over a membrane so I don't think any problems with drainage.

I think the safest thing to do is contact the owners of the private road but when I was buying the house they were not exactly responsive (i.e. they didn't respond at all to queries).

I reckon I'll just knock it down but save the bricks in case I have to restore it!

[Globulator]

_dobbo_ said:

I think the safest thing to do is contact the owners of the private road

And yet I think that is the riskiest thing to do.

[Percy Flage]

Assuming you own the wall, does the Private Road owner have your permission to put signs on your wall? If it's your wall, it's yours to take down. You would, presumably, need to return the signs to the road owner. Or perhaps mount them on the rendered wall of your house?

[FlossyThePig]

_dobbo_ said:

Behind the wall is a load of stones over a membrane so I don't think any problems with drainage.

Water will soak through the membrane. It won't go through tarmac/conrete/block paving, etc.

[Carl_Spackler]

garyhun said:

cjs said:

Globulator said:

Why give anyone the chance to say no?
Just do it.

+1 Just do it, you can always rebuild the wall if there are issues in the future.

As a old work colleague used to say, "just do it, and ask for forgiveness later"

“It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.”

[Rags]

Carl_Spackler said:

garyhun said:

cjs said:

Globulator said:

Why give anyone the chance to say no?
Just do it.

+1 Just do it, you can always rebuild the wall if there are issues in the future.

As a old work colleague used to say, "just do it, and ask for forgiveness later"

“It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.”

Haha classic.

[Globulator]

The OP also has to consider how they'll feel after they receive a 'No, you can't' answer.
By answering 'Yes' your controller (that you just appointed to control this aspect of your life) has opened himself up to all sorts of legal ramifications, so if he errs on the side of caution (far more likely today) and says 'No', you are stuck.

After the 'No':
Do you do it anyway? They told you no, so that's bound to wind them up.
Or do you not do it? Then you are stuck with what you have.

It's not rocket science, you either just do it or bend over for the shaft.
Even if you get a 'Yes' - you now owe them a favour.

[Busamav]

You do not need planning to remove the wall , assuming it is not a listed building.

( and I am not sure but also a conservation area)

It is the right of access over the private road you need to be sure of , nothing to do with the council , just the residents who pay for the upkeep of said road.

Make sure you do not pave more than 5m2 using impervious material.

[_dobbo_]

Thanks for all the advice chaps - most helpful indeed. Reminds me why PH is such a great place!

Busamav said:

It is the right of access over the private road you need to be sure of , nothing to do with the council , just the residents who pay for the upkeep of said road.

Make sure you do not pave more than 5m2 using impervious material.

In amongst the legal crap when I bought the house is a clause that I am responsible for a percentage upkeep of the private road because I have access. My access runs directly down the side of the house where the wall is, so I'd expect that in respect of that legal agreement it makes little difference - I won't be driving on any bit of the road that I don't already currently drive on.

I think I'll just do it - the only issue is the sign which I'll either change in size or relocate.

One question though if you don't mind?

Busamav said:

Make sure you do not pave more than 5m2 using impervious material.

I wasn't planning to change the surface of the front garden at all - it's fine already to park a car on - does this make a difference? Currently stones over membrane.

thanks again all!

:

Edited by _dobbo_ on Tuesday 12th October 20:20

[Busamav]

Thats fine then .