Do you need planning permission for a driveway?

When renovating your home, careful consideration is needed for bigger projects such as extensions, patios, conservatories and more. Many of these home improvements require planning permission, which might slow down the project but is necessary nonetheless. 

Building a new driveway on your property has become a highly popular project in recent years. Due to the poor parking facilities across West Sussex, driveways have become necessary to larger families and households. Driveway installation can boost the value of your property by increasing the kerbside appeal. 

But, do you need planning permission for a driveway? Well, it depends. You don’t always need planning permission to build or renovate your driveway, but there are a few circumstances in which it’s required.

Why do you need planning permission for a driveway?

There are a few different reasons that planning permission is required for some driveway projects, but the main reason is drainage. When you alter the surfaces on a property, depending on the size, the flood risk can increase. At The Landscape Fixers, we are well positioned to build driveways with adequate drainage as we are a division of The Drain Fixers, drainage engineers with over 20 years experience in drainage solutions. This means that regardless of whether your driveway needs planning permission or not, we are able to build safe, durable and long lasting driveways for our West Sussex customers.

When do you need planning permission for a driveway?

Generally, planning permission is likely to be needed when installing a new driveway, but it is still worth checking the criteria in case you can skip this. You will need planning permission for your driveway under these specific circumstances:

You are paving more than 5 square metres of driveway and/or it doesn’t drain through a permeable surface. 

When the surface area of a driveway increases, the flood risk increases too. But, this doesn’t necessarily mean that a larger project definitely needs planning permission. We work with a range of permeable materials which are approved by government regulatory SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems). 

You need to create a drop kerb.

This might seem like an obvious one, but it does sometimes go overlooked! Many properties without existing driveways need to create a drop kerb in order to build a new driveway. If this is the case, you will definitely need planning permission for your new driveway, and should get in contact with your local council as soon as possible.

You are changing the visibility on your road.

This is a loose description, but generally if you are going to be adding trees, walls or gates on your property, you’ll likely need planning permission for your driveway. In fact, this might also be the case if you are removing trees, walls or gates as this can still possibly affect the visibility of drivers. 

You are making changes to a listed building.

If your home or the property you’re looking to develop is a listed building, you will need planning permission before installing a new driveway or making any renovations. Historic buildings are protected and you will have to check that your property falls outside of Article 4 directions. This would mean that your council has the ability to intervene on planning decisions, for any number of reasons.

When do you not need planning permission for a driveway?

Although it is most likely your new driveway project will need planning permission, you might be one of the lucky ones who can bypass this process. Generally, you won’t need planning permission for your driveway if:

You are paving less than five square metres of driveway.

In cases like this, the flood risk is minimal and the new installation will have little affect on the drainage of your property. If you’re only looking to make a small addition to your property, it’s very likely that you won’t need planning permission for this.

You are using permeable materials.

The main reason planning permission is required for driveway projects is to ensure adequate drainage is put in place. Using permeable materials minimises the risk of flooding, as water can flow freely through the joints in permeable paving blocks. The materials used aren’t detrimental to the overall look of your finished driveway and can help you bypass planning permission applications.

Rainwater drains naturally in the area.

Perhaps you’re simply renovating an existing driveway, or you have been fortunate enough to be blessed with an already sloped area. As long as the area of your driveway slopes towards a drainage ditch, flows towards your lawn or a grassy area, you are not likely to need planning permission to complete your driveway.

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If you’re looking to build a new driveway on your property or renovate your existing driveway, it’s always best to check with your local authorities first to ensure you’re doing everything by the book.

Your new driveway project is a great investment for your property, and it’s worth taking the time to carefully consider all the details. Have you considered the driveway materials that will suit your home the best? If you are in need of any advice, don’t hesitate to contact our friendly team of West Sussex driveway contractors today!