How to Apply for Planning Permission for a Driveway

Whether you need planning permission, prior approval or a lawful development certificate for your driveway or access, the process and time frames are very similar. Every application requires a variety of supporting evidence to justify why it should be approved, architectural drawings, maps, block plans and of course the correct application to be completed. There may also be additional supporting documents or specialist reports required depending what exactly you wish to change and where the site is located.

Once an application is submitted the planning authority first needs to validate it, this can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. If there is anything missing or incorrect the planning officer may invalidate the application and until the missing info is added or mistakes corrected.

From the day the application is validated they then have up to 8 weeks to process the application and reach a decision. It is however common for planning authorities to request additional information or minor design alterations which can delay the process further. For example, they might find something unacceptable but suggest a compromise that they would approve. Many people who try themselves are unaware of this so subsequently are rejected unnecessarily.

It is recommended that you allow as much time as possible when considering submitting a planning application for a driveway, at least 3 months and up to 12 months ahead is ideal. Once planning is approved you generally have 3 years to start work and 5 years to complete the work.

However, if you start work before gaining approval you risk enforcement action and if planning permission can’t be obtained then you would have to demolish the driveway.

In theory anyone can submit an application although other than industry professionals those who try are often rejected unnecessarily due to missing information or mistakes. Even architects are generally only qualified in design but not planning so, while they can draw anything, this does not mean that it meets all of the necessary planning criteria. In fact, lots of clients come to us having been rejected with an architect because the application did not meet the necessary planning criteria.

At Studio Charrette, we have a team of inhouse architects and planners who work together on every application. This ensures the design meets both our client’s expectation and also the expectations of the planning authority to give every application the best chance of success.

If you would like to find out what is required for your driveway, the likelihood of success or the costs associated with applying for planning permission please contact us to speak with one of our expert planning consultants today.

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