Do I need planning permission for a driveway?
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When you usually do not need permission
Any front driveway of 5 m² or less.
A larger driveway with a permeable surface, such as gravel, resin bound, permeable block paving or porous tarmac, so rain soaks through.
A larger driveway in an ordinary surface where the rainwater runs off to a lawn, border or soakaway on your own land.
When you might
An impermeable surface over 5 m² that drains onto the road or pavement.
Listed buildings, flats and maisonettes, and houses in a conservation area or under an Article 4 direction, where the usual rules can be different.
A new access onto a classified road, such as an A road, usually needs permission as well as a dropped kerb.
Dropped kerbs
If cars will cross the pavement to reach your driveway, you need a dropped kerb. Driving over a full-height kerb is not allowed, and your council decides whether you can have one.
You apply to the council, which checks things like visibility, trees and street furniture. Most councils then build it themselves or name approved contractors. It typically costs £800 to £2,500, and it is not in our driveway prices.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Each has its own rules. The idea is similar, but check with your own council before relying on the English rules above.
Where to check
The Planning Portal sets out the rules for paving front gardens in England, and your council’s planning and highways teams can confirm what applies to your house and how to apply for a dropped kerb.
Planning Portal: paving your front garden (opens in a new tab)
Planning estimate or quotation?
Every figure on this page is a planning estimate: what a driveway like this typically costs, for budgeting and for judging the quotes you get. It is not a quotation. A quotation comes from an installer after a visit, when the size, the ground underneath and the drainage are known.
Facet Pro narrows the estimate to your own driveway: you outline it on a satellite map, so it is priced at its measured size rather than an average. Your installer confirms the figure on site.
Common questions
Do I need planning permission for a new driveway?
Not if it is 5 m² or less, or if the surface is permeable or drains to a lawn or border on your land. An impermeable driveway over 5 m² that drains onto the road needs permission in England.
Do I need planning permission for block paving?
Not for permeable block paving, or standard blocks that drain to a border. Standard blocks over 5 m² draining onto the road need permission.
Do I need permission for a dropped kerb?
Yes, always from your council, which usually builds it too. It typically costs £800 to £2,500.
Can I turn my front garden into a driveway?
Often, yes, but it needs a dropped kerb approved by the council, may need planning permission depending on the surface, and usually means taking down a wall or fence. It needs someone to look at it on site.
Your driveway isn’t average.
See a new surface on your own driveway and get a planning estimate. Any figure on this page is for a typical driveway. Upload one photograph of the front of your house, choose a surface and colour, and outline your driveway on the satellite map so it is priced at its real size.
FREE Upload photo & see price →
Free to try · No tape measure · No sales call unless you ask
Your original photo is deleted after processing. See how your photo is used →
These are planning estimates — not a quotation, and not a survey. Driveway figures come from published UK driveway cost guides, with digging out, a new sub-base and waste removal added. Whether VAT is included varies by installer. Your installer confirms the figure on site. Prices checked October 2026.