Planning permission needed for driveway and lowering front lawn?

[GloriousEuropa]

In my opinion you're overthinking this a bit. Google "angle of repose" to get an idea of what you can do near the foundation. Slope the driveway up so the subbase finishes level with the top of the concrete and the finish covers it. If the slope is too steep you can consider things like a "step" or a steeper section about 2 feet from the wall - picture your car - the wheels should be at least 2 feet from the wall so you only need to take account of the overhang of the car a bit like in a carpark where the front goes over the kerb until your wheels touch it.

I lowered my ground level by about 300mm, I actually excavated 500mm and exposed the foundation but the subbase and block paving added back 200mm. You can make out the original ground level (2 courses below the top airbricks and see where I had to render over 4 courses of exposed foundation bricks because they weren't facing bricks.
View attachment 191281

I could have gone lower and made the slope flatter but didn't want loads of steps up to the front door.

Thank you for the great post mate. Drive looks fantastic.

I am curious as to why you went 0.5 metre down then 0.2m back up. Could you not have simply gone down 0.2m to start with then raised it back to the original level with your drive? Or did you want it dropping down anyway?

So really, 200mm of surface is all that is above your foundation? That’s interesting. I still have lots to learn haha!

We had a driveway installer with amazing reviews online come around today and he measured up and quoted us £4,100 for all the resin driveway, digging it out, putting oak sleepers walls up the sides of the drive and all across the front of the garden, which is around about the same with a few other quotes we’ve had. He even said there’s no penny to pay upfront, it’s all after the customer is satisfied with the job, so we are tempted to go with him.

He said he wouldn’t even bother with the dropped kerb application and just get two of the ramps that a few others on the estate have, because the council are funny about such matters and they charge an extortionate amount.

 

[Tigercubrider]

If you don't have a dropped kerb then anybody can park across the front of your house and is legally entitled to. You could end up blocked in/out on an important date/time

You're also breaking the law driving over the pavement.
They could install a phone company street box right in front of the drive, or a lamppost

 

[GloriousEuropa]

If you don't have a dropped kerb then anybody can park across the front of your house and is legally entitled to. You could end up blocked in/out on an important date/time

You're also breaking the law driving over the pavement.
They could install a phone company street box right in front of the drive, or a lamppost

They could do, but as I said there are about a dozen houses on the estate who’ve been doing the same for years and driving right over the pavement. And the lampposts, telephone poles, etc. have been in the same place for decades up here.

 

[GloriousEuropa]

There is also this lovely humdinger of a legal loophole that means anyone can park on your drive if they wish anyway.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/5902531/legal-loophole-means-anyone-can-park-on-your-drive/