Planning
Do you need planning permission for a driveway?
A permeable driveway needs no planning permission, at any size. An impermeable one over 5 square metres to the front that drains to the road does.
In short
In England you do not need planning permission for a new or replacement driveway of any size if it uses a permeable surface such as gravel, permeable block paving or porous resin, or if rainwater is directed to a lawn or border to soak away on site. You need planning permission only if you lay more than five square metres of impermeable surface to the front of the house that drains onto the road. This has been the rule since 2008, and there is no separate 2026 rule change.
The thresholds
Where the line sits
The rule is about water, not appearance. Since 2008, the concern has been front gardens that are paved over with hard, impermeable surfaces so that rain runs straight onto the road and into the drains. So the test is whether the water can soak away on your own land. If it can, t
| Why | Surface | Planning permission |
|---|---|---|
| Water drains through on site | Permeable, any size | Not needed |
| Below the threshold | Impermeable, under 5 square metres to the front | Not needed |
| 2008 surface water rule | Impermeable, over 5 square metres draining to the road | Needed |
| Handled separately from planning | Any surface with a new dropped kerb | Highways consent |
Source: Gardenscape. Figures as of 2026-06-01.
Yes, no, or it depends
Scenarios in plain language
Resin-bound surfacing is porous and is normally treated as permeable, so it does not trigger the surface-water rule. Resin-bonded surfacing is not permeable. We build resin-bound on a permeable base.
No. The rule that impermeable front driveways over five square metres need permission has been in force since 2008. Some articles label it a 2026 change, but it is the same long-standing regulation.
Lowering the kerb to cross the pavement is a highways matter handled by Wiltshire Council, not a planning application, unless the road is classified.
The local layer
Designated land and Article 4
The rule is about water, not appearance. Since 2008, the concern has been front gardens that are paved over with hard, impermeable surfaces so that rain runs straight onto the road and into the drains. So the test is whether the water can soak away on your own land. If it can, through a permeable surface or by draining to a border or lawn, no permission is needed however big the driveway. If it cannot, and you are laying more than five square metres of impermeable surface to the front, you need a householder application. We build resin-bound driveways on a permeable base, which keeps the wat
A note
General guidance, not advice. Rules vary by site, and Article 4 directions or conditions can change what applies. Check with your local authority and the Planning Portal.
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