Driveway Planning Permission: What You Need To Know
As of October 2008, new rules came into effect regarding driveway planning permission. While not overly complex it’s always worth being clued up about these things before commencing any new driveway work.
You will very rarely need permission for driveway work although, as with any construction, this depends on the level of work involved. There is some local fluctuation, so it is worth investigating local rules and regulations before commencing, just to be on the safe side. However, It is estimated that 99% of driveway work does not require planning permission.
Covering an area of your land with hard surfaces, provided these are kept as close to ground level as possible, should not present you any planning problems. Anything at a raised, terraced or embanked level might prove more complex, but this is entirely dependent on the height and intrusive nature of any work you have planned.
If you plan to build a raised or embanked drive of any sort, you may find that there is a need to obtain permission, depending on the nature of the drive in question. This is worth bearing in mind if your house is built on an incline, in which a staggered or raised drive way is likely to be required. In these cases it is worth contacting planners beforehand, just to give yourself peace of mind and avoiding the hassle of retrospective permission or even, potentially, an enforcement order.
If your local area is known to be affected by flooding, adding a paved or concreted drive might present potentially problems if it is replacing a grassed garden area. This is due to the fact that grass naturally and slowly drains rainwater, while a driveway will run excess water off into the storm drains, which can become overloaded. This is, however, a fairly rare problem but worth investigating if you have a history of flooding in your area.
While within your own boundaries, and built to a conventional design, you are unlikely to encounter any difficulty in sticking within the rules, if you’re planning work that extends onto the pavement and road you will need to contact the Highways Department through your local council. The kerb will need to be lowered to be in line with road level; this is to ensure that the pavement isn’t slowly damaged by your car every time you use your drive. Councils may do the work themselves, or more than likely, require you to use listed contractors to get the work done.
Driveway planning permission shouldn’t present you with any major problems unless you are planning something especially convoluted. Remember these three basic rules and you should be fine: always use approved contractors who are aware of the rules, keep the drive at a low level, avoiding the kerb and staying within the boundaries of your property if possible and if in any doubt, check beforehand just to be on the safe side.
Carl Robison is an expert in home improvements. If you want more information about garden planning permission or are searching for a trusted garden paving retailer please visit http://www.clearancepaving.co.uk
