Front garden -- driveway. Need planning permission ?
Discussion
So the wife is looking at getting a smart car, and with no room on the drive, in the garage or on our busy road we're looking at transforming the little grass patch at the front of the house into a driveway.
It currently looks like this :
There's a row of townhouses who are all the same, and quite a few of the neighbours have already changed that grass into either loose stones or paving :
We don't really like the idea of the loose stones and the paving slabs look ok, but they still have a bit of mud/plants and not removed the wall (we're gonna take part of the wall down, so the smart can get on the drive easier).
I've been googling front gardens to driveway and it comes up with a lot of different stories, with some saying you do need planning permission, and some say you don't, and then there's the whole "the surface must be permeable" and be able to get rid of water etc.
However, the end townhouse has just got a full driveway :
And several other houses and flats (different build) up the road have also put in driveways, with this one being a recent one :
So would i need planning permission for my little patch of grass (2.5 meter x 2.9 meter) or can i just have a little bit of tarmac put in without worries?
It currently looks like this :
There's a row of townhouses who are all the same, and quite a few of the neighbours have already changed that grass into either loose stones or paving :
We don't really like the idea of the loose stones and the paving slabs look ok, but they still have a bit of mud/plants and not removed the wall (we're gonna take part of the wall down, so the smart can get on the drive easier).
I've been googling front gardens to driveway and it comes up with a lot of different stories, with some saying you do need planning permission, and some say you don't, and then there's the whole "the surface must be permeable" and be able to get rid of water etc.
However, the end townhouse has just got a full driveway :
And several other houses and flats (different build) up the road have also put in driveways, with this one being a recent one :
So would i need planning permission for my little patch of grass (2.5 meter x 2.9 meter) or can i just have a little bit of tarmac put in without worries?
Edited by Medic-one on Friday 3rd July 10:03
I've been looking into driveways, so I have a little knowledge, but I'll happily make way to the experts 
To do it properly, you'll need to contact your County Council (or similar authority) to get the dropped kerb extended.
If you live on a classified road, or you want to use a non-permeable material to create the drive you will want to contact your local council for planning gudiance. (A, B or C road, though as you already have a driveway, this might not be necessary)
If you use a permeable material to create the drive, and you live on an unclassified road, you don't need planning permission from the local council.
Legally you aren't allowed to drive on the footpath. If your car uses a vehicle crossing, it must drive directly over the footpath, and never along it.
HTH
To do it properly, you'll need to contact your County Council (or similar authority) to get the dropped kerb extended.
If you live on a classified road, or you want to use a non-permeable material to create the drive you will want to contact your local council for planning gudiance. (A, B or C road, though as you already have a driveway, this might not be necessary)
If you use a permeable material to create the drive, and you live on an unclassified road, you don't need planning permission from the local council.
Legally you aren't allowed to drive on the footpath. If your car uses a vehicle crossing, it must drive directly over the footpath, and never along it.
HTH
esxste said:
I've been looking into driveways, so I have a little knowledge, but I'll happily make way to the experts
To do it properly, you'll need to contact your County Council (or similar authority) to get the dropped kerb extended.
If you live on a classified road, or you want to use a non-permeable material to create the drive you will want to contact your local council for planning gudiance. (A, B or C road, though as you already have a driveway, this might not be necessary)
If you use a permeable material to create the drive, and you live on an unclassified road, you don't need planning permission from the local council.
Legally you aren't allowed to drive on the footpath. If your car uses a vehicle crossing, it must drive directly over the footpath, and never along it.
HTH
Thanks for the reply.To do it properly, you'll need to contact your County Council (or similar authority) to get the dropped kerb extended.
If you live on a classified road, or you want to use a non-permeable material to create the drive you will want to contact your local council for planning gudiance. (A, B or C road, though as you already have a driveway, this might not be necessary)
If you use a permeable material to create the drive, and you live on an unclassified road, you don't need planning permission from the local council.
Legally you aren't allowed to drive on the footpath. If your car uses a vehicle crossing, it must drive directly over the footpath, and never along it.
HTH
How do i find out if my road is a classified road (not sure what that means), it's a small one way road and not a main through road if that helps ?
I don't think i'd need to extend the dropped kerb to get a smart on/of an extended driveway as there's plently of room. In the first picture i'm parked over to the left, but if i park more central on my drive and a bit further back there's plenty of room without having to drive along the footpath :
www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonproject...
It's all on there, basically if it's of 5 square meters you need planning if the surface is non permeable
It's all on there, basically if it's of 5 square meters you need planning if the surface is non permeable
CaptainMorgan said:
www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonproject...
It's all on there, basically if it's of 5 square meters you need planning if the surface is non permeable
Cheers.It's all on there, basically if it's of 5 square meters you need planning if the surface is non permeable
Also just saw on there "Also note that these rules only cover your front garden. Any other work such as fences, walls and gates or a dropped kerb may require planning permission."
Surely taking a little bit of that wall down wouldn't require planning permission as well would it ? I'd rather use permable stuff and avoid the whole planning permission hoo-haa if i can.
Medic-one said:
Thanks for the reply.
How do i find out if my road is a classified road (not sure what that means), it's a small one way road and not a main through road if that helps ?
I don't think i'd need to extend the dropped kerb to get a smart on/of an extended driveway as there's plently of room. In the first picture i'm parked over to the left, but if i park more central on my drive and a bit further back there's plenty of room without having to drive along the footpath :
Legally, you should get your dropped kerb extended. In your illustration, driving in at that angle would be illegal, as I understand it. The reason being is that you would be driving 'along' the footpath, and not directly over it. (I.E at a 90 degree angle to the footpath. How do i find out if my road is a classified road (not sure what that means), it's a small one way road and not a main through road if that helps ?
I don't think i'd need to extend the dropped kerb to get a smart on/of an extended driveway as there's plently of room. In the first picture i'm parked over to the left, but if i park more central on my drive and a bit further back there's plenty of room without having to drive along the footpath :
Very much doubt you'd get done for it, but the possibility is there.
I posted a similar thread a couple of years ago. Someone said "it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission".
So I knocked my front wall down and now I park on my front drive. No drop kerb required, didn't change the surface of the garden, access is over my existing driveway.
Worst case scenario - I guess I might have to rebuild my front wall one day, the old one was horrible breezeblock so I can live with this.
Who's going to complain? One less car parked on the street helps everyone else on the street, and like you at least 70% of the houses on my road have done the same
Edit, just checked, apparently it was more like five years ago. Doesn't time fly?
Thread here
So I knocked my front wall down and now I park on my front drive. No drop kerb required, didn't change the surface of the garden, access is over my existing driveway.
Worst case scenario - I guess I might have to rebuild my front wall one day, the old one was horrible breezeblock so I can live with this.
Who's going to complain? One less car parked on the street helps everyone else on the street, and like you at least 70% of the houses on my road have done the same
Edit, just checked, apparently it was more like five years ago. Doesn't time fly?
Thread here
Edited by _dobbo_ on Friday 3rd July 13:21
I'd be inclined to get some parking mats from http://www.matsgrids.co.uk/ and then seed. Permeable surface with a nice bit of green that you can use without problem.
esxste said:
I've been looking into driveways, so I have a little knowledge, but I'll happily make way to the experts
To do it properly, you'll need to contact your County Council (or similar authority) to get the dropped kerb extended.
If you live on a classified road, or you want to use a non-permeable material to create the drive you will want to contact your local council for planning gudiance. (A, B or C road, though as you already have a driveway, this might not be necessary)
If you use a permeable material to create the drive, and you live on an unclassified road, you don't need planning permission from the local council.
Legally you aren't allowed to drive on the footpath. If your car uses a vehicle crossing, it must drive directly over the footpath, and never along it.
HTH
Exactly this. Paving expert will guide you on materials.To do it properly, you'll need to contact your County Council (or similar authority) to get the dropped kerb extended.
If you live on a classified road, or you want to use a non-permeable material to create the drive you will want to contact your local council for planning gudiance. (A, B or C road, though as you already have a driveway, this might not be necessary)
If you use a permeable material to create the drive, and you live on an unclassified road, you don't need planning permission from the local council.
Legally you aren't allowed to drive on the footpath. If your car uses a vehicle crossing, it must drive directly over the footpath, and never along it.
HTH
SteBrown91 said:
My folks just paved the lot and no one has complained..
... yet!We had our in-out drive re-tarmac'd and in the process widened by about a metre all round, so our lawn was somewhat reduced in size, but not significantly so. Some miserable b'std complained to the council and we had the full jobsworth visit to take photos, measure up etc. Fortunately there were no run-off issues onto our neighbours' gardens/drives so it was OK, but it gave me a few sleepless nights at the thought of having to rip up £6K's worth of drive. Think I would have checked first had I known the possible grief involved.
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