Planning Policy
Planning Policy / Planning / St Albans City and / Driveway or hard surface

Driveway or hard surface in St Albans City and

Do you need planning permission for a driveway in St Albans City and? Here is what the permitted development rules say, how St Albans City and District 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 St Albans City and?

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 St Albans City and 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 St Albans City and

How St Albans City and’s designations apply

Designation in St Albans City andPublished
Conservation areas45
Article 4 directions (PD removed)34
Listed building outlines840

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 St Albans City and 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 St Albans City and address

A Planning Policy report reads the designations on your exact St Albans City and address, quotes the St Albans City and District 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 St Albans City and, answered

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

Other projects in St Albans City and