Flagging over a whole massive back garden - why?

[carocaro]

Someone in our neighbouthood has flagged over their entire massive back garden, plain old flags everywhere, it was a lovely garden with trees and grass. It looks like a car park, not to mention the noise of cutting all the slabs with a petrol cutter thing all week, the noise, smell and dust has been terrible. It must have costs a fortune.

Why buy a house (they have lived there a year) and then pave the entire garden right up to the fences on each side?

I can't think of a reason, can you?

We block paved ours, I dont like grass, I get hay fever and im too scared sit on it due to creepy crawlies. I have got a large raised planting area though.

No I can't caro. I might understand putting down some sort of hard covering but not boring old flags.

Sounds like they watched an Alan Titchmarsh programme

I can think of very good reasons - most connected with age/health/mobility or future expectations of those...

they might not have grown up with traditional British gardens so their expectations may be different.

I would love to do that, we have a jungle out there, I have neither the money, motivation or knowledge to sort it out, flagstones would be marvellous.

But what they must have paid to have it paved could have paid for a weekly gardener for about 20 years to mow the lawn.

If I were old I'd rather look at a jungle than hideous car park slabs!

Hopefully, they will be filling the garden wasteland with lots of potted plants and it will be looking lovely before you know it. Maybe?

To hide bodies. Only possibe explanation

maybe they are asthmatic and the grass was getting to them. maybe they want to learn to roller skate and need a nearby rink. maybe they wan to land their helicopter. maybe they are afraid of slugs (I get loads). maybe they want to play hopscotch, for hours. maybe they are just dong it cos they dont like you and they know it will piss you off.

I can't understand it either. I like everywhere in the outdoors to be as green as possible. Some people just don't like nature - too messy or uncontrollable

I hope they used water-permeable paving, or things will get very squelchy for their neighbours when next it rains.

I think grass is overrated, especially if you have children and or dogs. It gets worn, muddy, needs tended every five bloody minutes!

We do have grass out the front but my long plan is to get rid, with borders and paths. Back is a small courtyard which is fabulous for dogs and was great for the children to zoom about on scooters/bikes/skates when they were smaller.

It's highly unecological to pave over gardens - there are lots of associated drainage problems when people do this. I did read something about needing planning permission to do so...

I'm with bonsoir, I thought it needed planning permission too. If you call you're local planning authority they should be able to confirm and will send someone round if necessary to check.

You're right, Bonsoir, about the environmental damage, although I have a feeling - too lazy to google - that planning permission may only apply to front gardens. Certainly in London there is a problem with so many people paving their front gardens for parking and the associated water run-off.

I can understand not wanting a lawn in a garden - I'd gladly get rid of mine in favour of bigger flower beds and paths between them - but a garden that's wholly paved will always be rather bleak.

You're right, Bonsoir, about the environmental damage, although I have a feeling - too lazy to google - that planning permission may only apply to front gardens. Certainly in London there is a problem with so many people paving their front gardens for parking and the associated water run-off.

I can understand not wanting a lawn in a garden - I'd gladly get rid of mine in favour of bigger flower beds and paths between them - but a garden that's wholly paved will always be rather bleak.

Gah. Double post. But that's made me check the guidance - paving front gardens.

Thats useful- I am sending it to the lady across the road who is paving her front garden.

Fortunately for us, front gardens in this street are slightly too shallow to be used for car parking, but there are streets nearby where every front garden is a lump of hideous asphalt.

I doubt asthma, we are all surrouned by gardens and fields etc. No planning permission, but building regs must comply......defo a body ot ten, it is so big the garden you could park at least 10 Routemasters side by side its that big and ugly and bleak.

How can you not like grass? It's the UK, green and glorious etc etc!

Yes, but a decent lawn is quite labour-intensive and nit everyone has the time or inclination. Large flower beds and paths/paving are the way to go, I think.

Yanbu. If you don't like gardens live in a bloody flat, you heathens!

Well said Mintyy

Don't you need planning permission to do that? Wobbles off to google it....