Can you put a driveway in your front garden?

Mark M

Mark M

Mark M

Soldato
Joined
6 Jan 2006
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Location
Newcastle upon Tyne
Some little bar steward has keyed my car over the weekend all the way along the passenger side and someone else scratched the drivers side a while ago (think it was a bike or something and probably not malicious)

We unfortunately live in a mid link which doesnt have a garage and therefore no driveway but the garden is big enough to put a drive on.

Going to ring the council if I get the opportunity but might struggle to get away from me desk today but has anyone done anything simliar? I think the council may object to putting a dropped curb there possibly?
 
We're thinking about doing the exact same thing at the moment, if your garden has a pavement in front of it you will need to get planning permission for a dropped curb.

We have to fill out about 5 forms detailing pretty much everything including drawings (front on and birds eye), materials used, dimensions and drainage etc...

I was actually going to post up a similar thread, but more based on what materials I should be using, I was thinking just concrete slabs as a couple of my neighbours have used those, I don't fancy digging the entire garden up and concreting it!

I imagine each council is slightly different but I would have thought it's roughly the same, why do you think they would deny a dropped curb?

Have any of your neighbours done anything similar as this will give you a good indication as to whether your application will be successful or not.
 
The rules were changed last year, you now need planning permission to pave over a garden. My neighbours did this just before the rules were changed. You can only pave over a certain area without getting planning permission.
 
Just done this recently.

You need planning permission to change the use of the front garden from "garden" to "driveway".

You also need a road opening permit for the dropped kerb.

We were ~£125 for planning permission (I think), £90 for the permit and £50 to get plans made up. The actual driveway cost £2600.

You may have issues with regard to:

1) Can you leave your property in a forward gear?
2) Is the road classified (i.e. busy / buses on it?)
3) Is there clear visibility in both directions?
4) Is there car parking on your side of the road?
 
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You dont need planning permission if you install a permeable driveway, a dropped curb around my way cost about £250 - £300 from the council.
 
Thanks for the info, will ring the council later on today if I get a chance. Costs seem pretty high but god knows how much its going to cost to get the car repaired!

What a permeable driveway rogue?
 
Ha, theres actually already a slope leading away from the house so shouldnt be an issue. Will get someone to have a look at it first before I go ahead with anything.
 
Also your kerb with either be formed from PCC or whinstone - whinstone will probably cost about twice as much as PCC but looks far nicer.
 
SoSolid said:
The rules were changed last year, you now need planning permission to pave over a garden. My neighbours did this just before the rules were changed. You can only pave over a certain area without getting planning permission.
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I can understand paying your local council for lowering kerbs, allowing access to your driveway and seeking permission to cross public pavements in order to access your new driveway but I'm reading the above as saying I'd actually need to get planning permission to put down a paved patio area in my back garden?

I would have thought as I own the property, and the garden (granted it's mortgaged) it's up to me what I do with it (within reason) :confused:
 
Mark M said:
Thanks for the info, will ring the council later on today if I get a chance. Costs seem pretty high but god knows how much its going to cost to get the car repaired!

What a permeable driveway rogue?
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I'm assuming it's just loose gravel, slabs with gaps etc... something which allows the water to permeate through to the ground underneath.

If this is the case then that is what I shall be doing, I just want the car off the road and on to the drive the cheapest/quickest way possible.

A doc I found in relation to permeable front gardens: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/pavingfrontgardens.pdf
 
Sonea Fifer said:
I would have thought as I own the property, and the garden (granted it's mortgaged) it's up to me what I do with it (within reason) :confused:
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What you've said is imo completely reasonable, but it doesn't work like that - some people may feel it is perfectly 'within reason' to paint their house bright pink, or dig a moat in the back garden and install a drawbridge etc.

These things need regulating, whether you own the property or not. Its a pain but better than the alternative.
 
As a Planner for a Local Authority this is what you need to do:

If your property fronts onto a classified Road you will need to apply for planning permission for a vehicular cross over and also apply for a dropped kerb from the relevant local highway authority. In my case that would be KCC (Kent County Council).

If your property is not on a classified road you will not require planning permission but still need to apply for a dropped kerb from local highway authority.

In terms of changing your garden into a driveway the following applies:

The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) (No. 2) (England) Order 2008

Part 1 Class F

Permitted development
F. Development consisting of—
(a) the provision within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse of a hard surface for any
purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse as such; or
(b) the replacement in whole or in part of such a surface.
Conditions

F.1 Development is permitted by Class F subject to the condition that where—
(a) the hard surface would be situated on land between a wall forming the principal
elevation of the dwellinghouse and a highway, and
(b) the area of ground covered by the hard surface, or the area of hard surface
replaced, would exceed 5 square metres,

either the hard surface shall be made of porous materials, or provision shall be made to
direct run-off water from the hard surface to a permeable or porous area or surface within the curtilage of the dwellinghouse.

However, if your property is subject to an Article 4 (2) Direction you may need to apply for planning permission to demolish the front boundary wall and hard surface in your front garden. To check if you property is subject to a Article 4 (2) Direction phone your local Council up.

I hope this helps.
 
Sonea Fifer said:
I can understand paying your local council for lowering kerbs, allowing access to your driveway and seeking permission to cross public pavements in order to access your new driveway but I'm reading the above as saying I'd actually need to get planning permission to put down a paved patio area in my back garden?

I would have thought as I own the property, and the garden (granted it's mortgaged) it's up to me what I do with it (within reason) :confused:
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Its because of the surface water going into the main drains and not going into the ground.
 
the answer is can you and i answered with a yes because i've done it.

It is informative I can provide pictures of where the drive is if you reaaaaaaaaly want to but I really cant be arsed to find my phone wire and plug it in and upload the pic etc etc...


And saying well done and a sarcastic informative post

Is very informative as well well done to you both :D really helpful.
 
Lots of conflicting information in here, some of which is wrong. I don't know the rules in Scotland, but I suspect they are probably different and so will not apply to the OP.

The rules in England are as follows:

Dropped Kerbs

- You do not need Planning Permission to have a dropped kerb installed unless your property fronts a classified road. Classified roads are A roads, B roads and C roads. Housing estates are usually unclassified. Check with the highway authority.

- You do need consent from the highway authority - that will be the County Council in a two-tier area. They may insist that they carry out the work themselves, or you use one of their approved contractors. Very few will allow you to do the work yourself, and if it's not up to spec they'll come and do it themselves and bill you for it. If you don't pay, they'll just slap a charge on the property.

Paving your garden

- You do not need planning permission to pave over your front garden. However, you must make provisions for drainage so that the water is not running on to the highway. You could use a permeable surface, install the paving with some fall and drain it to a permeable part of the garden (eg. a border) or dig out a soakaway at the side, or install drainage channels to a soakway. The link Spoon posted above is the guidance used by Councils.

This permeability stuff only came in October 2008 and it's very difficult to enforce. Realistically you'd have to have enforcement officers throwing water all over the surface to see what happens. Unless you live in an area where flooding on the highway is an issue it is extremely unlikely the local planning authority will do anything about it.
 
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