Planning Policy
Planning Policy / Planning / Durham County / Driveway or hard surface

Driveway or hard surface in Durham County

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

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 Durham County 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 Durham County

How Durham County’s designations apply

Designation in Durham CountyPublished
Conservation areas92
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 Durham County 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 Durham County address

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

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

Other projects in Durham County