I have recently contracted a designer to produce, as they do, some designs for a front garden in London. They produced a design, which had a circular pathway diagonally across the garden as well as from the pavement to the front door.
I spent last week putting up walls, planting and digging out for the patio approximately 16m2. This weekend while researching a project nearer my Cheltenham home i discovered the planning laws re-permeable surfaces in front gardens.
The problem - i have already dug it out, filled it will MOT and bought the very expensive sand stone paving. I can lay the path from the pavement to the house normally as this is 5m2, however, i am in a quandary re the rest of the garden.
My initial solution is to lay the rest of the paving on compacted sand, with gravel between small pointing gaps. Does anyone have any ideas if this would be suitable to comply with front gardens and permeable surfaces planning legislation?
This is yet to be discussed with the client....things had been going se well.
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Hi
I am probably stating the obvious, but have you thought about a soakaway? This would comply with SUDs regulations, but there are restrictions for their use, they shouldn’t be less than 5m from a building and don’t work for a heavy clay soil, or high water table. http://www.pavingexpert.com/drain08.html
I have used the cellular, crate style ones and easy to install and work perfectly well.
Many thanks Sally!
So if i understand this correctly if we install a soakaway, 5m from the building then the paving would comply with sud's and not require planning?
No liability inffered...
Just had a look at your site - lovely drawings...if you lived nearer i could definitely find you lots of work...
Hello again Guy
I would also have to do research myself on soakaway systems given the area of paving, location of garden, slope , where to site gullies etc. I believe in some areas you would still need planning permission, conservation areas etc. They shouldn’t be sited near a road or boundary, as well as the client’s property and the size of crate required is obtained via a simple calculation, paving expert has this info, also various other sites online including manufacturers of the crates or attenuation cells as they are known. They need a geotextile membrane to stop the ingression of roots etc. There are different products for load bearing under drives etc. I know you can get the cells from Travis and Perkins.
I expect there are others on LJN that are more expert than me on this subject.
Thanks for the compliment about my website/designs and good luck!
I agree with everything Sally has said, except I thought it was minimum 3m from a building.... better (I would think) to site the soakaway under the garden part rather than the patio, and ensure that water from the patio runs off into gulleys and then into the soakaway.
If the garden is on heavy London clay, there is a chance the soakaway will just fill up and then overflow :( .... so make it bigger htan recommended. Might also be worth talking to the local planning office as in some circumstances (eg high water table, bedrock, impermeable clay) you are allowed to drain off to the drains, but you must apply for planning to do so.
Amazed that a designer has not specified for this.... (but also that you hadn't come across it yourself!!) I think you should point out the legal requirements to the customer so they know you are not being 'awkward'
Good luck with it :)
Linda
www.garden-design-lancashire.co.uk
You only need to apply for planning permission if there is no other way of dispersing of the water via soakaways, soft landscaping, permeable paving or the property is pre 1920's.
Check out the this basic link http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/pav...
Hi Guy
You have not said how big the front garden is in total. If there is a reasonable portion of the garden being used for planting then you are allowed to run the surface water off into this area. Can't remember the % off the top of my head
The SUDs regulations are there to dissuade us from having to apply for planning given the increase of front gardens being covered by concrete for parking and the reduction of rainwater being returned to the ground.
Kevin
www.gardencoaching.blogspot.com
ifyou have carried out most of the work i would stop short the paving where it meets the road or pavemment
and drop a water cell into place,catching the water via either a aco drain or a set of permeable pavers,,as for putting gravel inbetween tour pavers into sand the rain water will soften even wash away your sand and sub base if you dont seperate the water traveling
