Planning Policy
Planning Policy / Planning / Greenwich / Driveway or hard surface

Driveway or hard surface in Greenwich

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

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 Greenwich 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 Greenwich

How Greenwich’s designations apply

Designation in GreenwichPublished
Conservation areas24
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 Greenwich 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, Royal Borough of Greenwich 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 Greenwich address

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

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

Other projects in Greenwich