Planning Policy
Planning Policy / Planning / Cornwall / Driveway or hard surface

Driveway or hard surface in Cornwall

Do you need planning permission for a driveway in Cornwall? Here is what the permitted development rules say, how Cornwall 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 Cornwall?

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 Cornwall 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 Cornwall

How Cornwall’s designations apply

Designation in CornwallPublished
Conservation areas145
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 Cornwall 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 Cornwall address

A Planning Policy report reads the designations on your exact Cornwall address, quotes the Cornwall 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 Cornwall, answered

Do I need planning permission for a driveway in Cornwall?
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 Cornwall still depends on your exact address and the designations on it.
Does a conservation area affect a driveway in Cornwall?
It can. Even where the size limits are met, Cornwall 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 Cornwall 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 Cornwall Council Local Plan and national policies that apply, verbatim, and shows decided applications nearby.
6.0: More for Cornwall

Other projects in Cornwall