If you own a property that requires you to park on the roadside, as many do these days, there’s every reason to look into building a driveway if there was the capacity to do so. It’s a benefit to you, after all!
Not only do driveways give you a guaranteed parking space, but they also make your life easier in general, and they also have the potential to increase the market value of your property too. These benefits alone are enough to make the option an appealing one if you are the current homeowner or even if you were to sell the property in the future.
But, before you get started on the works, have you checked to see if you need planning permission for a driveway?
An extremely brief answer here is that planning permission depends predominantly on location.
For example, if you plan to pave over an existing front/back garden depending on the layout of your property, planning permission is not required. This is providing that permeable materials are used – which let any rainwater drain through – so materials such as gravel are acceptable but concreting the surface would not be permitted without seeking planning permission first.
As we just mentioned, if your plan is not to use permeable materials like gravel or porous slabs, and instead want to go for impermeable materials, then you are required to seek driveway planning permission. This also applies if the works will be carried out across a five square metre area or more.
Here are some other considerations you should be aware of:
Listed Buildings
Any building that is listed means you will have to get listed building consent for driveway planning permission before works can begin.
Pavements
Any pavement dropping on a principal, trunk or classified road will mean you must seek some form of planning consent.
Also, dropped pavements necessitate specific conditions to be met. This typically means you have to bring in contractors that have been approved by the council to carry out works on your behalf.
Different Paving Routes
If your vision is to pave over your front garden, this is overseen by a different set of rules to the laws that govern driveway construction. Admittedly, they can seem closely matched to a non-professional, so if you’re in doubt, the sound guidance here would be to get advice from an expert in the field who can help determine the route you need to go down.
Fixtures/Structures
Fixtures and structures such as walls, fences and gates quite often need planning permission before you can advance with your works.
Land Ownership
If there are any land ownership matters, such as Right of Way Land issues or Easements, these can have a bearing on your driveway plans.
Public Footpaths
Should a public footpath be located outside your property, it could require strengthening to safeguard any utilities situated underneath.
Are you in Liskeard, Exeter or any other areas in Devon and Cornwall, including Plymouth? Planning applications can be a tricky process, which is why here at Martin Perry Associates, we’re on hand to help your process to be a smooth as possible.
For more information, get in touch today on 01579 345777 or email mail@mperryassociates.com.