Refused plannig permission for driveway

[warwickhouse]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone would be able to advise me on a refused planning application. It was for turning part of my front garden (approx 40m x 7m wide) into a parking area. It was recently refused due

to the highways dept stating that there was no way we could turn our car round in the room provided (we can) and that we would potentially have to drive near the roots of a protected tree. At the monent we are having to park on a busy main road and are obstructing the visability for other drivers but despite discussing this with highways they would not budge from their decision. Has anyone had any experience of this as

we don't know what to do next. Thanks

[Broadback]

I was refused planning permission, even though the planning people liked it, highways said it was a big safety improvement. Why? Simply because it was partly under the canopy of a protected tree. The only way round was to get an expert in who would give detailed drawings of a system that would protect the roots. Cost would have been 5 figures, so I put up and shut up! You even need planning permission to erect a shed beneath a protected tree, though I suspect many just go ahead, and all the best to them.

[Set Square]

Perhaps you need to arrange an 'accident' for the protected tree?

[warwickhouse]

Even if an 'accident' did happen they still say we can't turn a vehicle in the space provided - even though we can!

[Andy Hall]

Talk to your councillor and ask them to arrange a visit with them and somebody from planning.

[bland]

1. The important words might be "busy main road". The highways will probably see this as allowing several cars to park with extra traffic loading. For example if in the future you or a new house owner decided to let the house to a several folk all with their own cars.
2. Are you in a conservation area
3. Googling (in UK) for "parking on front gardens" throws up a lot of stuff, so it seems to be a hot topic for local government at this point in time. I imagine they have had recommendations from higher levels of government.

bland

[warwickhouse]

Thanks for your replies!

We're not in a conservation area. You could be right about it being a 'hot topic' etc as the enviroment agency have been talking about people swapping lawns for hardstandings and the inpact on wildlife etc.

[Set Square]

There are consultants whom you can employ to help you with planning appeals - in either direction. One such advertises in some of the free papers around Warwick, where I live. [Not sure whether your email address is indicative of a similar location].

[Ian Stirling]

You could answer this part of the objection by marking off an exactly same sized patch with some mounded lines of sand, on a parking lot or somewhere, and video it - with shots of the undisturbed sand. The problem. The easy reply to this is "most cars" can't be turned in this space.

I wonder about turntables.

[nightjar]

Whether you can turn the vehicle you currently own is irrelevant. The planners have to allow for future changes of ownership, so what they mean is that there is insufficient room to turn a standardised vehicle that represents X% of vehicles on the road, where X is probably around 95%.

Colin Bignell

[warwickhouse]

Our car is a Landrover freelander - not the smallest of cars! - but we can do a three point turn. Could anyone advise if we were to resubmit plans with a turntable would it have to go straight to appeal or are you given a chance to resubmit.

Thanks

[Owain]

If there isn't sufficient space for turning a "standard car" you can get car turntables, either hand operated or with a small electric motor, which enable you to drive forwards into the drive, and rotate the car on the turntable so it then faces outwards for driving out forwards.

Incidentally, the turning circle for a London taxi is 25 ft.

Owain

[daddyfreddy]

Which area are you in and is the tree on your land or on the pavement?

The type of car and whether you can do a 3 point turn with it is irrelevant. They will work from standard figures.

It's hard to assess your problem without really seeing it but I had a problem with my local council over extending a driveway. Their 'engineer' was being a stubborn barsteward and was making up all the excuses to suit. It took plenty of letter writing but I got my way in the end. I'd advise you get all the measurements that your local council work to rather than take their word for it.

[Nobody]

Why do you have to turn it around anyway?

[Owain]

Because you're not allowed to / the highways dept don't like you to reverse your car on to a main road.

Owain

[Rob Morley]

So reverse in rather than reversing out - easier for unloading the shopping too.

[andrewd909]

A friend of mine at work has hardstanding for 3 cars at the rear of his property, he submitted planning permision for a garage, it was refused on an objection by the highways department that by building a garage he would reduce the equivelent parking space to 2 cars from 3, this they claim will increase the possibility of people parking in the road. He has ignored the refusal and is building it anyway it will be interesting to see if they check up on him and if so what the outcome would be

[David]

In article , [e-mail] writes

You can resubmit revised plans and has been said earlier the highways will base their decision on standard cars, not what the current house owner has so as to future proof any decision. My experience of the planning process has shown me that the highways are one agency that can make or break a planning decision unilaterally without too much trouble, useful if you can get them to object to a development you don't want...

[warwickhouse]

It seems that you can't win whatever you do, they don't want you parking on the road yet they won't allow you to park on your own land.

[John Cartmell]

What's wrong with doing it the correct way - ie reversing in?