As car ownership rises, putting pressure on on-street parking space, householders are increasingly looking to the formation of parking space within their gardens, particularly in 4-in-a-block properties. In these properties, however, the legal division of garden ground was never designed with the formation of driveways in mind and conflict can sometimes arise between the use of the front garden for residential amenity, pedestrian access to each of the flatted properties and the parking of cars. The following standards seek to strike a balance between the function of front gardens for residential and visual amenity, the requirement for safe pedestrian access and the wish of a householder to provide off-street parking space.

This policy concerns the formation of front garden parking space. It explains the circumstances where planning permission is required and sets out the standards that the Council will require to be met when considering applications for planning permission. The policy is only concerned with the provision of parking space within domestic property and not the parking of commercial vehicles or car parking in front of commercial premises.

REQUIREMENT FOR PLANNING PERMISSION

Planning permission is required for the formation of parking space in any part of:

The formation of a parking space anywhere in the garden of a house e.g. a bungalow, terrace, semi-detached or detached house, where the access will not be on to a trunk or classified road and the property is not inside a conservation area will not require planning permission.

It should be noted that, regardless of whether planning permission is required or not, permission may also be required from Land Services (Roads and Transportation).

Permission for parking in the front garden will only be considered if the creation of a parking space in the rear garden or behind the building line is not feasible and providing that the following criteria are met:

1. VEHICULAR ACCESS 

(a) to be a minimum of three metres wide;

(b) to have a dropped kerb pavement crossover;

(c) to have sightlines of 2 x 20 metres in both directions;

(d) to be closed with gates which do not open outwards; and

(e) to be at right angles to the road.

2. PARKING AREA 

(a) to have a maximum gradient of 10%;

(b) to have its first two metres hard paved across its entire width with paviors, slabs etc.;

(c) to have a minimum size of five metres in length and 2.5 metres in width;

(d) to take up no more than 50% of the front garden area and not fragment the garden into small unusable spaces;

(e) within 4-in-a-blocks and sub-divided houses, should not prejudice the later formation of rear garden parking for adjoining dwellings and should not extend over any communally owned paths; and

(f) should be located as far as possible from the windows of neighbouring dwellings.

PERMISSION WILL NOT BE GRANTED 

LISTED BUILDINGS AND CONSERVATION AREAS 

The formation of new parking areas within the front garden of a listed building or a dwelling within a conservation area can detract greatly from the visual amenity of the property and the surrounding area. In these situations, planning permission will only be granted in exceptional circumstances, and where there will be no adverse effect on mature trees (see policy HER 3: Design Standards for Listed Buildings and Properties in Conservation Areas).

TRUNK ROADS 

These comprise the Motorways; the M8, the M73, the M74, the M77, the M80 and a short section of the A8 at Baillieston, between the Main Street junction and the M73 interchange.

CLASSIFIED ROADS 

These are the main roads in the City i.e. the ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads.