Planning Permission or Permitted Development?

[Questionime]

Do you need to get planning permission to put a parking space at the side of your house in what is currently part of the back garden?

There are already two parking spaces on a raised gravel hardstanding at the front of the house. The side garden is at a lower level and is fenced off at the side passage so is currently part of the back garden. A ramp would need to be installed or ground raised to get a vehicle down the side.

The new space on the side would be immediatly next to neighbours house.

Thanks for advice.

You'll find your answer here

www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200125/do_you_need_permission

Thanks very much for the link.

It looks like it wouldn't need permission in a back garden but only in a front garden which seems a bit odd.

If you are significantly altering the ground height then you may do if it is forward of the original front wall of the dwelling, or on a side elevation adjoining a highway. A standard ramp (such as that required to allow wheelchair access to a house) does not require pp, however if you were to significantly alter the ground level this could cause privacy concerns or obstruct a window to neighbouring properties then you are more likely to. This is all based on the assumption that the new area of hardstanding drains within your property or is porous, annoyingly you have to get permission for hard standing to drain into the mains drain - despite the fact I doubt there is a planning officer in the country who has refused on the basis that a parking space is going to overload mains drainage! Most councils have a free 'do I require planning permission' enquiry service, it's always worth getting it in writing in case you sell the house, or fall our with your neighbours.

The parking area would be on land that is a metre higher than the adjacent house so any hardstanding would presumably increase water run off to the neighbouring property. Also wouldn't the weight of a new hardstanding cause potential sideways land slippage?

There would be no need to raise the level of the land next to the house to put hardstanding on, but a small ramp would be needed to link a new parking space up to the front drive.