Updated July 2026
In short
You can convert a front garden to parking, but only if you have a dropped kerb to cross the pavement legally — and if you’re surfacing more than 5m² you’ll usually need a permeable surface (like resin) or proper drainage.
Turning a front garden into off-street parking is a smart move on Nottingham’s busier streets — but there’s a right way and a wrong way, and getting it wrong can mean enforcement or a fine.
You still need a dropped kerb
This is the big one people miss. Even if the whole driveway is on your own land, you can’t legally drive over the pavement to reach it without a dropped kerb. Bumping a car up over a full-height kerb damages the footway (which you can be billed for) and counts as driving on the footway. The dropped crossing is what makes the access legal.
The 5m² drainage rule
If you lay more than five square metres of impermeable hard surface out front and the water runs off onto the road, you need planning permission. Use a porous surface — like permeable block paving or resin-bound on a permeable base — or direct the water to a border or soakaway on your own land, and you’re permitted development at any size. Catch most people miss: re-laying an existing drive counts too, so a like-for-like replacement can still need permission. Check yours in 30 seconds.
Doing it properly
- Get the dropped kerb approved and installed first, or as part of the same job.
- Choose a surface that soaks away or drains to your own land — resin, permeable block paving or gravel.
- Make sure the finished level ties in neatly with the new crossing so water doesn’t pool.
One job, done right
We handle the crossing and a compliant, good-looking drive together, so the levels, drainage and paperwork all line up. Browse the driveway options or get a quote.
Want it sorted properly?
We install council-approved dropped kerbs across Nottingham & Nottinghamshire — and handle the whole Section 184 application for you.
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