I need to get the cars off the road!!!!

[cress]

Hi all,

Right its time to get the cars off the road...I plan to turn the front of the house into the driveway.....BUT where do I start..

Our budget is quite tight so i am thinking gravelling it is the easiest and cheapest solution...As you can probably tell it slopes towards the house and measures 48sqm..
Where should I start???

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[Richard C]

Best read this before you get too carried away;
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en/1115315235239.html

 

[cress]

Thanks Rich but I have read the new rules and after seeing this

You will NOT need planning permission if a new driveway uses permeable (or porous) surfacing which allows water to drain through, such as gravel, permeable concrete block paving or porous asphalt, or if the rainwater is directed to a lawn or border to drain naturally.

Which is why I am going down the gravel route. So i just need to know where to get started....

 

[Richard C]

Yes I’m also aware of the drainage requirements to sidestep the PP issues as I am currently in the process of “thinking about” what to do with my own driveway; I posted the link because so many folks are not even aware this legislation was introduced.

As to what to do with the drive; I live in a lane where all the drives have around 1 in 4 slope towards the road & the problem with gravel on a sloping drive is that it regualrly ends up all over the road, as in the case of two of my neighbours; but in your case it will be the opposite! Another neighbour has a thin layer gravelled drive which was stuck on a concrete base with what looked like a clear resin; I wasn’t too convinced it would last but it seems to be doing OK after 2 years. Two more of my neighbours have coloured asphalt drives which were done by the same company & these look surprisingly good; one has been down 10 years now with no real sign of wear or deterioration & he regularly has 7 tonne delivery lorries parked on it (runs a carpet business). But asphalt also needs a decent base & a bit more substance than would normally be laid by passing “pikies” with a load “left over from a road contract” & it isn’t the cheaper option I though it would be, only marginal cheaper that my preferred option of block paving but that can be rather expensive over a large area!

Our kids have flown the coop now but at my last house there were 5 cars altogether & the neighbours were getting severely ****ed so I desperately needed to do something but it had to be cheap. I bought a load of 900 x 600 heavy duty concrete slabs & 2 tonne of sharp sand, dug out the lawn & just laid the slabs on a levelled sand base. It looked a bit unitary but calmed the neighbours down & worked surprisingly well. The slabs didn’t crack & still looked OK when we sold the property 3 years later; that was in 2004 & as far as I know it’s still there!

 

[AndrewSchofield]

The porous surfacing will only get you around one part of the planning issue. If you use a porous finish then you can provide a hardstanding for anything in your garden.

However, you may need permission to create a new access to the highway as you currently have no vehicular access to the road? This only applies if you're accessing a 'trunk road' or 'classified road' and it looks from your pics as though you may be ok but its worth checking!

If you're going to be crossing a footpath and its a council adopted road you may also need permission for a 'footpath cross-over' and may need permission from any utility providers who have pipes/cables buried in the footpath/verge?

Might be worth a phonecall to your local council!?!