Planning Policy
Planning Policy / Planning / Bromley / Driveway or hard surface

Driveway or hard surface in Bromley

Do you need planning permission for a driveway in Bromley? Here is what the permitted development rules say, how London Borough of Bromley’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 Bromley?

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 Bromley 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 Bromley

How Bromley’s designations apply

Designation in BromleyPublished
Conservation areas73
Article 4 directions (PD removed)0
Listed building outlines415

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 Bromley 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.

As a London borough, London Borough of Bromley also decides against the London Plan 2021 (the strategic policy layer for all 33 boroughs), alongside national policy and its own Local Plan.

Your report

Get a planning report for your Bromley address

A Planning Policy report reads the designations on your exact Bromley address, quotes the London Borough of Bromley 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 Bromley, answered

Do I need planning permission for a driveway in Bromley?
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 Bromley still depends on your exact address and the designations on it.
Does a conservation area affect a driveway in Bromley?
It can. Even where the size limits are met, London Borough of Bromley assesses the appearance of a driveway against the character of a conservation area, and on a listed building separate consent is required.
How does Bromley 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 London Borough of Bromley Local Plan and national policies that apply, verbatim, and shows decided applications nearby.
6.0: More for Bromley

Other projects in Bromley