The permitted development rights that allowed the paving of front gardens for hardstanding, without obtaining planning permission changed on the 1st October 2008. If you are planning to lay traditional impermeable paving, and the hard surface area exceeds 5 square metres, planning permission is now required. The same rules also apply to replacement of existing hardstandings. However, if permeable surfaces are used for the construction, planning permission will not be needed.   The BBC's One Show recently featured permeable paving and this can be viewed here.

All of the above materials are readily available from Elliotts. Loose gravel and wheel tracks are fairly self explanatory, but reinforced grass and permeable paving may be a concept that you are not familiar with so further information on these options follows.

Elliotts can offer permeable paviors from a wide variety of manufacturers. Typically these paviors are manufactured with spacers, alternatively the material has open voids across the surface, both types when laid on a permeable sub-base, allow water to soak through.

Plates are a semi open paving structure that, when filled with grass/soil mix or gravel chippings can take loads of up to 560 tonnes per sq m.  Installation is easy and when installed with grass makes it possible to drive on the lawn but mow it normally.

 

For the latest information on planning requirements visit the Planning Portal