Planning Policy

Driveway or hard surface in Bath and North East Somerset

Do you need planning permission for a driveway in Bath and North East Somerset? Here is what the permitted development rules say, how Bath and North East Somerset Council’s designations change them, and what decides an application, grounded in the official guidance and quoted verbatim.

Paved driveway and frontage of a residential house
Driveway: permeable surfaces changed the rules for front gardens
The short answer

Do you need planning permission for a driveway in Bath and North East Somerset?

Replacing a driveway is permitted development under Class F where the surface is porous, or where rainwater drains to a permeable area within the property rather than to the highway. Whether a driveway needs permission in Bath and North East Somerset still depends on your exact address and the designations on it.

1.0: The permitted development position

The starting point

Replacing a driveway is permitted development under Class F where the surface is porous, or where rainwater drains to a permeable area within the property rather than to the highway.

“This provides permitted development rights within the curtilage of a house for - (a) the provision of a hard surface for any purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse as such”PD technical guidance, Class F · full text in the library → · official source →
2.0: What changes it in Bath and North East Somerset

How Bath and North East Somerset’s designations apply

Designation in Bath and North East SomersetPublished
Conservation areas35
Article 4 directions (PD removed)0
Listed building outlines0

A non-permeable surface over five square metres draining to the road needs permission; a dropped kerb for vehicle access is a separate highways consent. Counts are read live from planning.data.gov.uk; your report checks them against your exact address.

3.0: How it’s decided

What Bath and North East Somerset weighs

A non-permeable surface over five square metres draining to the road needs permission; a dropped kerb for vehicle access is a separate highways consent.

Your report

Get a planning report for your Bath and North East Somerset address

A Planning Policy report reads the designations on your exact Bath and North East Somerset address, quotes the Bath and North East Somerset Council and national policies that apply to a driveway, and (on Pro) shows decided applications nearby with outcomes.

5.0: Questions

Driveway or hard surface in Bath and North East Somerset, answered

Do I need planning permission for a driveway in Bath and North East Somerset?
Replacing a driveway is permitted development under Class F where the surface is porous, or where rainwater drains to a permeable area within the property rather than to the highway. Whether a driveway needs permission in Bath and North East Somerset still depends on your exact address and the designations on it.
Does a conservation area affect a driveway in Bath and North East Somerset?
It can. Even where the size limits are met, Bath and North East Somerset Council assesses the appearance of a driveway against the character of a conservation area, and on a listed building separate consent is required.
How does Bath and North East Somerset decide a driveway or hard surface application?
A non-permeable surface over five square metres draining to the road needs permission; a dropped kerb for vehicle access is a separate highways consent. A Planning Policy report quotes the specific Bath and North East Somerset Council Local Plan and national policies that apply, verbatim, and shows decided applications nearby.
6.0: More for Bath and North East Somerset

Other projects in Bath and North East Somerset