You don’t need planning permission to build or replace a driveway of any size if:

• you use permeable (or porous) surfacing, e.g. gravel, permeable concrete block paving or porous asphalt

• the rainwater flows to a lawn or border to drain naturally.

If you cover more than five square metres using traditional materials that don’t let water through, you need planning permission.

These rules apply to the area of land between the front walls of the house and the highway.

Building regulations do not generally apply. However, you will need to make sure that any alterations do not make access to the dwelling any less satisfactory than it was before.

So, for example, changing levels to introduce steps where none existed before would be a contravention of the regulations.

Consider using permeable materials (such as gravel and pebbles) that allow rainwater to pass through them and to drain slowly into the ground rather than quickly running off into drains and increasing the risk of flooding.