Planning! or chance it - Existing driveway

[plim]

hi, new to this site so bare with me please,
i have an exiting concrete drive 43sqm, 125mm reinforced with mesh, on hardcore. i laid it 10 years ago with levels allowing for crazy, but never got around to it, now i want to finish it but do i bother with the dreaded planning or take a chance, problem is it slopes to the road, no where to pick up a drain & property sits on a thick bed of clay, so even if i did break up one corner for a soakaway it wouldnt work, any thoughts? cheers.

[Pablo]

Technically you're completing work that was started pre regs so you may have a loophole.

[plim]

thanks fo that Pablo, i did wonder about that, but didnt want to ask council & start something unstopable, i was thinking of maybe using a large paver like marshalls driveset or a southport sort of thing on a morta bed so it didnt look quite so obviosly non permeable. any other thoughts or ideas from you fine people on this wonderfull site would be much appreciated.

[DNgroundworks]

Most contractors seem to just completley dis-regard the new regs or have no clue as to them being introduced in the first place round here. i give the customer a choice, with or without, most choose without. Id sooner put one in, but it is the house owners choice as they are liable.

[plim]

thanks DN, looks like i'll complete it & keep my fingers cossed then. has anyone heard of one being dug up for not complying.

[lutonlagerlout]

enforcement notices have been issued in luton,whether the householder complies or not is another matter
and dan if you do a drive and the client gets rumbled and refuses to pay you what happens then?
its a lot easier installing it first time round
LLL

[Dave_L]

I always make the client aware of the regulations at the quotation stage, often they decide whether to install the reccomended drainage to comply or to completely disregard it. It's their choice then. Simple as that.

Not had any enforcement notices or action nor have I heard of any locally.

[rab1]

its not a thing i personally know a lot about (live in scotland) but in a couple of years all councils etc will start to enforce these laws with vengeance.

???

[plim]

hi, thanks for the replies so far, i dont suppose anyones got a finite answer to wether finishing a drive started before planning regs came in still needs to comply, great site this, nice bit of humor about, was checking other parts of forum, & LLL seems to be all over the place.

[lutonlagerlout]

how do you mean paul?
regards LLL

[plim]

sorry LLL, i didnt mean anything negative, what i meant was you are on a lot of topics & threads all over the site trying to be helpfull. regards Paul.

[DNgroundworks]

LLL if they choose to have without at the quotation stage, once they sign on the dotted line, the buck stops with them, obviously i make them fully aware to the best of my understanding anyway.

[DNgroundworks]

Also not many contractors round here know about the new regs, so therefore they never mention it to the customer or in the quote, which if i was to price to stick one in first time round as you say (which is the best option i agree LLL) my price would be £££ dearer and i would never get any work, hence why i give them a choice.

[lutonlagerlout]

i hear ye dan and that is probably why i don't get half the drives that i price.
but i got stung years ago by just such a customer
he asked me to install a 900mm square loft hatch
I explained it couldn't be done as his trussed roof was at 600mm centres and you cant cut a truss
anyway he insisted it would be ok so i got him to sign and then did it

anyway fast forward 6 months and he is selling the gaff and the surveyor notices the cut truss,all hell breaks loose,the client lies through his teeth saying that i made him sign under duress and it ended up costing me 450 quid to bolt a new joist on,put a new smaller loft hatch in etc etc.
he only made 90 grand on the house

its people like that that have made me the pedant that I am
cheers LLL

[mo-uk]

its worth pointing out from a legal perspective its worth mentioning it (and getting a record in your contract if you have one) that you mentioned the planning requirements to the homeowner