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Paved area restrictions

From 1 October 2008 new rules apply for householders wanting to pave over their front gardens.

If the surface to be covered is more than five square metres planning permission will be needed for laying traditional, impermeable driveways that do not control rainwater running off onto roads.

You will NOT need planning permission if a new driveway uses permeable (or porous) surfacing which allows water to drain through, such as gravel, permeable concrete block paving or porous asphalt, or if the rainwater is directed to a lawn or border to drain naturally.

Therefore, the biggest change for paved areas is where they slope towards the road. A drainage channel, or similar, will need to be incorporated next to the pavement and connected to a soakaway, whereas historically it would have been normal to merely direct water straight from the paved area into the road. This practice is no longer acceptable.

Proprietary soakaway systems are available which are a substitute for the normal hole, filled with bricks or large single sized aggregate etc.

See the government´s Planning Portal or Communities website for more information.

Acknowledgement: The Concrete Society

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