Paving over front gardens

[hobble]

Paving over front gardens will be more difficult this autumn, due to a new law to be introduced. Presently people who remove their front gardens for a parking space have been concreting/ paving over them. This is a shame for wildlife, and drainage, as well as looking awful in some cases.
From October, homeowners in England will have to apply for planning permission if they want to pave their front garden with impermeable materials such as asphalt- but will be exempt if using porous products.
I think this is great news as this will minimise paving and protect some areas of greenery.
Parking spaces can be designed in such a way to incorporate soft landscaping as well as cars, let's hope people become a bit more sympathetic in the future.

[nightshade]

There are really good materials around that will allow a garden to take the weight of a vehicle but grass or plants will still grow up through it, a hard-standing would cost (DIY)around £200 using these.
The run off these days into drainage systems (designed to be assisted by large areas of grass and soil) causes local flooding and in some circumstances contributes to serious flooding.
And do not start me on the gardens lost to hard pressed wildlife through the desert creating Decking

[tufftie]

It's turning into tarmac garden city round here - there seems to be a constant process of front gardens being turned into driveways. I'm not sure that most of these people wont go for the materials that allow plants to grow through as they are looking for a no maintenance approach to gardening. i think the new law, didn't know about it, will be a really good thing...just hope they're strict with it
Will the planning permission require areas of greenery as well as porous materials?

[demicav]

I think this is a good thing as the present trend seems to be flagging and paving many green areas especially gardens.

[wildmanofthewoods]

Here here it saddens me when i walk down a street & see that a large percentage of people have done this. Maybe this has added to the decline of species such as the Song Thrush.

[GerryNick2]

Interesting, what would you class block paving as, an impermeable material or a porous product. My understanding is block paving is considered as a porous surface as it allows surface water to soak through albeit slowly.

Gerry

[outdoorguy]

i'm a window cleaner and i notice gardens changing.. most people do it because they like the idea that there car is not on the road and because they have more cars.. eg kids grow up and get cars... i like a nice lawn.. better for my ladder too.. and paving is dangerous when wet.. i think its a good law.. there is one particular road i can think of that i used to deliver newspapers when i was a kid it used to be half driveway and half grass on every house.. now i'd say 90% of them have block paving or tarmac.. looks so boring and sterile..... james

[bigpete51]

This comes out of a DEFRA strategy report 'Future Water' published in February 2008. It's tempting to think that it will fix the problem, but it's only concerned with flooding from increased water runoff. There's nothing in the proposal to prevent gardens being ploughed up and replaced with hard landscaping. It just uses the cost of applying for planning permission to even up the price discrepancy between 'normal' paving and the permeable stuff.

Front Gardens | Change Alley

[nightshade]

I do not see why people need to concrete such large areas, two parallel tracks should suffice for an average car and 4x4's do not need metalled tracks do they ?
How about a National "Cut Holes in Your Concrete Day" to help restore the
balance and plant stuff to brighten our lives

[Stefan]

We have a semi-paved front garden - but with three beds still present with a big tree. 80% of the front gardens in the area are completely covered - It looks terrible to be honest