Planning permission for parking area

foolishboy

Evening all...

A neighbour, who used to park on side of road with other visitors/residents, has just had an area of grass outside their house converted into parking space. This in effect now reduces the road parking as they now need access to their new space - a very crafty way of permanently reserving space on a road that was a first come first served before. They already have a garage/parking to the rear, but obviously wanted some at the front too.

Is this legal? Does it require planning permission as they've just reduced the amount of parking available for others on the road?

Thanks!
FB

ckerrd

Is the kerb dropped? If not I don't think there is anything to stop people parking as before.

ormus

with no dropped kerb, they have no legal right to drive across the public path.
anyone can park behind them on the road.

latecomer

Is it their grass or just in front of their house?

fluffymuffy

PP? Maybe -

"If the surface to be covered is more than five square metres planning permission will be needed for laying traditional, impermeable driveways that do not provide for the water to run to a permeable area."

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/public/buildingwork/projects/workcommonpaving/

planning_officer

If the hardstanding is outside the curtilage of the property then it requires planning permission. Permitted development rights only apply inside the curtilage. If the road is classified (A, B or C road) then any work to form a vehicular access requires planning permission too (and can also require planning permission on unclassified roads, if the access causes a highway danger).

Otherwise, if the hardstanding is within the curtilage of the property, then like Fluffymuffy says above, it could be permitted development if it exceeds 5 sqm (which it will, if it is big enough to park one car) and is not permeable or does not allow for natural drainage to an area within the garden. If it's permeable or allows for drainage (and is wholly within the curtilage), then it won't require planning permission from the Council, irrespective of its size.

ic

Have a chat with your council... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7251333.stm

planning_officer

ic wrote: »

Have a chat with your council... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7251333.stm

I've given the answer above - this link refers to the highway authority physically preventing parking on verges (which has nothing to do with planning).

From what the OP says, it seems like the hardstanding has been laid in the front garden of the property, rather than the verge (although I could be wrong).

ic

It was actually a story about

Residents who park in their front gardens without obtaining council permission first are having their cars blocked in by concrete bollards.

Brent and Harrow Councils in north London have taken the action to discourage motorists from damaging pavements by driving over them.

Cameron Zabit, from Neasden, in the borough of Brent, has had his car blocked in by the bollards.

"When I woke in the morning I found the bollards in our driveway blocking our car," he said.

No mention of verges? Just thought I'd link as a humorous extreme way of dealing with the problem of people not applying for permission and having the necessary work completed.

fluffymuffy

ic wrote: »

It was actually a story about...

Very interesting. I wonder what law was in force there?

Here people widen their driveways all the time to either get two cars on or just because the original (1950s) gate posts are too close together. This means driving over a bit of pavement they didn't previously. When we widened our driveway we had a new drop curb done by a contractor on a list the highways had approved for the work - it cost £500. We didn't need any permission to do this.

foolishboy

Thanks all .. it's their garden they've built on, there wasn't a kerb to drop in the first place. Looks like it's legal then, bit naughty as they've now drastically reduced road parking by doing this - if everyone did it there'd be no road parking! They already have off road parking and a garage at the rear.

On a similar subject, is it illegal to park across the road from someone's driveway? Or just inconsiderate?

Cheers!
FB