Planning Policy
Planning Policy / Planning / Surrey Heath / Driveway or hard surface

Driveway or hard surface in Surrey Heath

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

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 Surrey Heath 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 Surrey Heath

How Surrey Heath’s designations apply

Designation in Surrey HeathPublished
Conservation areas11
Article 4 directions (PD removed)0
Listed building outlines191

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 Surrey Heath 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 Surrey Heath address

A Planning Policy report reads the designations on your exact Surrey Heath address, quotes the Surrey Heath Borough 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 Surrey Heath, answered

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

Other projects in Surrey Heath