Planning permission for patios & driveways
Laying a patio or driveway is usually permitted development, but paving over a front garden depends on whether the surface is permeable and how much you cover.
Hard surfaces in a back garden are rarely a planning problem. The front garden is different: to reduce surface-water flooding, there are specific rules about permeable surfacing.
- Patios and hard surfaces in a rear or side garden, at normal ground level
- Front-garden surfaces using permeable materials (or draining to a permeable area)
- Any front-garden hard surface of 5m² or less
- More than 5m² of non-permeable surfacing in a front garden that does not drain to a permeable area
- Significant embanking, terracing or retaining walls to support the surface
- A new or altered vehicle access across a pavement (a dropped kerb, see below)
- Flats and maisonettes, and properties with rights removed
Don't forget building regs
Domestic patios and driveways are generally outside building regulations, though retaining walls, drainage and any structure supporting the surface may have separate requirements.
If your driveway needs a new vehicle crossover we can point you to the dropped kerb process, and if it is part of a larger front-of-house project we can design it all together. Ask us via the contact page.
Frequently asked
Do I need planning permission to pave my front garden?
Only if you lay more than 5m² of non-permeable surfacing that does not drain to a permeable area. Use permeable paving, gravel or a design that drains to a border and it stays permitted development.
Do I need permission for a back-garden patio?
Usually not. Patios and hard surfaces in a rear or side garden at normal ground level are generally permitted development, unless significant terracing or retaining is involved.
Not sure where your project stands?
Checking whether you need planning permission is one of the first things we do: on the house, before any drawings. Tell us about your project and we'll confirm the route.