Planning Policy
Planning Policy / Planning / Wiltshire / Driveway or hard surface

Driveway or hard surface in Wiltshire

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

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 Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire

How Wiltshire’s designations apply

Designation in WiltshirePublished
Conservation areas245
Article 4 directions (PD removed)48
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 Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire address

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

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

Other projects in Wiltshire