Functional Permeable Paving…

Benefit from the new planning permission rules!

From 1 October 2008 new rules apply for householders wanting to pave over their front gardens.  If you install permeable paving you can save time and money.

You will NOT need planning permission if a new driveway uses permeable paving (or porous) surfacing which allows water to drain through, such as gravel, permeable concrete block paving or porous asphalt, or if the rainwater is directed to a lawn or border to drain naturally.

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 control rainwater running off onto roads, however, this is not the case with permeable paving.

Rain gardens and soakaways

An area of garden can be formed into a rain garden – a depression to collect and store rainwater running from conventional impermeable surfaces (asphalt, concrete and block paving), before slowly allowing it to soak into the ground or to flow to the drains.

Rain gardens are widely used in the USA and elsewhere but are a relatively new concept in the UK.

The depressions can be located along the edge of the drive or as a larger area in the garden at a low point. The depression can be planted with suitable plants to help slow run-off, or gravel or cobbles can be used as decorative features.

There may be a gravel-filled trench below it to increase the storage capacity and allow water to soak into the ground more easily.

Soakaways are a similar idea except that water is piped into a gravel-filled trench or special container and allowed to soak into the ground.

In some areas many houses have the roof downpipes connected to soakaways. They are more suitable for houses with larger front gardens as they require space and need to be located a suitable distance from buildings.

TDS are fully compliant with all new planning legislation and all installations meet BS7533 part 3 at all stages of construction.

We will provide a full scale drawing of your driveway installation and full specifications in order to ensure you, the homeowner, incurs no extra costs or inconvenience should the local planning officers have any questions about your new permeable paving driveway.

We recommend an annual maintenance program in order to keep your new driveway clean and free from any airborne pollution or weeds
- see Driveway Surgeon for details

To find out more about our permeable paving installation services please contact us today.