Planning to replace driveway - drainage?

[fairplay]

I have an approximately 50 year old house (seemed quite new when I bought it 43 years ago!) which has the original concrete driveway down the side (now too narrow for a modern car) and a hardstanding of crazy paving as frontage. (Total 50sqm). I plan to upgrade this next year. The question is really about the drainage. So at the moment I guess it is impervious. It slopes slightly along the side of the house back to front and from the front to the road where there is a surface water kerbside drain. The road itself is on a nice slope as well. Naturally there have never been drainage issues for me. However my understanding is that should I replace this it would have to be permeable or if not lead to a soakaway with the new(ish) SUDS regulations. That would be difficult as the ground is very much impervious clay. Whenever a passing driveway contractor comes knocking on the door (and one or two have been from reputable firms) they look at me in blank amazement when i ask about this. So does the fairly reputable builder who lives opposite and I've asked a few other people when they have had their drives done and people seem to think I'm mad! Admittedly this is Essex and also most people have block paving so they are either having permeable and/or drainage or winging it I guess.
SO - what are my legal options?

 

[Notch7]

If the soil is non permeable clay then you may need to discharge into a public drain which requires planning.

What happens to your house rainwater?
Have you done a porosity test on your soil? -maybe the soil is more porous deeper down

 

[fairplay]

It's a combined system and as far as I can see in our street rainwater from gutters goes from a down pipe underground into the sewer as it does on mine.

 

[^woody^]

That would be difficult as the ground is very much impervious clay

That's when actual calculations come in to play, to see what quantities of water are involved and whether the soil can deal with it.

However IIRC, the [badly written] law is that you must have a permeable surface or direct the water run off to an area of lawn or soil or soakaway, and not that the ground below it is actually permeable!

 

[fairplay]

Well it's basically impossible as the house was designed and built with hard standing along side and most of front with any water either going to sewer from gutter or running to kerb side with natural fall. There is no lawn or soil to run it to. maybe I would be given planning permission as there is no change from current? From what I can read in the regs the side of the house would be ok it is just if a front garden is paved? (Which of course it already is!)

 

[pilsbury]

Whenever a passing driveway contractor comes knocking on the door (and one or two have been from reputable firms) they look at me in blank amazement when i ask about this

A few years ago these people knocking at your door would have been trying to sell you pegs and lucky heather.

 

[fairplay]

Indeed. Some of these were pukka though - I checked out their work locally and their website.