Driveways

Permeable surfaces, planning rules in the front garden, sub-base depths for vehicles, dropped kerbs.

All guides

Stub — growing

Last reviewed 20 May 2026

3 sources

Regulations

Front-garden driveways over 5 m² in impermeable materials need planning permission unless run-off drains to a permeable area on your own land. ^[1]^[2]
A dropped kerb crossing the public footway always needs the highway authority's approval — typically a council licence and an approved contractor. ^[3]
Resin-bound (porous) and permeable block paving qualify as SuDS-compliant surfaces. ^[2]

Hints & tips

Before any digging — sub-base excavation, kerb footings, dropped-kerb works — do a CAT & Genny sweep to locate buried services (HSE HSG47). Front gardens are full of incoming gas, water, electric and BT — CAT alone misses plastic gas and water mains; the Genny finds them. Full method in the Safety guide.
Sub-base for cars: 150 mm MOT Type 1, compacted in 75 mm layers. For occasional vans, 200 mm.
On clay subgrades, bump the sub-base to 200 mm and add a geotextile separator — clay pumps fines into voids under wheel loads.
Wearing course (asphalt): 25–40 mm; binder course: 50–60 mm.
Resin-bound layer: 15–18 mm over a porous base — never on impermeable concrete unless drained.
Concrete driveway slab (cars): 150 mm of C28/35 air-entrained concrete on 150 mm MOT Type 1, with A193 mesh on 40 mm spacers over a 1200-gauge DPM. Thicken the perimeter to 200 mm and saw-cut bays at ~3 m × 3 m once the slab is firm.
Vans / light commercials: bump the slab to 200 mm of C32/40 with A252 mesh, edge-thickened to 250 mm. A142 mesh is footpath-only — never put it under a wheel load.
Pours over ~3 m³ are quicker, cheaper and stronger from a mini-mix or ready-mix truck than mixing on site — the workability is consistent and you finish before set.
Block paving needs a mechanical edge restraint (haunched kerb or concrete edging) on every perimeter — without it, blocks creep and joints open.
Plan crossfalls so water never runs toward the garage threshold or the house.
Steep driveways (>1:10) need transverse channel drains at the top and bottom to stop sheet flow.
Pattern-imprinted concrete (PIC): 150 mm of C28/35 with A193 mesh on 40 mm spacers over 150 mm Type 1. Stamp wet, broadcast hardener, dust release, then saw-cut control joints ≤ 4 m within 24 h. Reseal at 28 days and every 3–5 years — un-sealed PIC fades and dusts.
Clay pavers vs concrete blocks: clay is kiln-fired so colour is permanent (concrete fades 30–50% in a decade). Cost premium ~30–40%; compact with a NEOPRENE-faced plate, never steel.
Granite setts work best as feature bands (border, apron, threshold) rather than the whole drive — beautiful but slow to lay and very expensive per m².
Grass-grid pavers: SuDS-compliant by default and exempt from front-garden planning rules. But for daily-use cars fill with pea gravel from day one — grass dies within a season under regular tyre loads.
Permeable block paving: 60 mm blocks on 50 mm 2–6 mm clean grit over 150 mm 4/20 mm clean open-graded sub-base. No sharp sand, no fines — fines block infiltration and the whole system fails.

This app provides general UK guidance and material estimates only. It is not legal, planning, engineering or building-control advice. Always confirm requirements with your local planning authority, building control, utility providers, manufacturers or qualified professionals.