1 in 10 front gardens paved over to create space for cars

A BOOM in homeowners wanting space to park has seen more than one in ten front gardens paved over, a survey claims.

This is despite the environmental impact caused by the creation of driveways. And with sales of electric cars soaring, the number of drivers keen to be able to park outside their home is likely to increase.

Insurer Direct Line says its survey of 2,000 homes found that 12 per cent of owners have already sacrificed all or part of their front garden, with this most likely to happen in the most densely populated areas.

In London, the figure is 18 per cent – nearly one in five – and in the South East 14 per cent, while in the North East and Northern Ireland it is only 1 per cent. In the West Midlands it is 14 per cent, Yorkshire 9 per cent and the North West 8 per cent.

Paving over gardens can pose a threat to wildlife, increase the risk of flooding and cause potential traffic problems, but the number of applications to councils to drop a kerb continues to rise.

Through a Freedom of Information request, Direct Line found that in 2018/19 there were an estimated 14,500 such planning requests, rising to 14,700 in 2020/21. However, the proportion being approved fell over that period from 80 per cent to 74 per cent.

In the past three years there have been more than 7,500 investigations into potentially illegal dropped kerbs, it found.

Many owners want to keep their vehicles safe or have homes with more than one car, said Dan Simson, head of Direct Line Home Insurance.

‘Parking spaces across many parts of the UK are in high demand,’ he added.

‘It is interesting to see how “kerb appeal” now means a dropped kerb rather than an attractive front garden – with parking valued much more highly than grass and shrubbery. We would encourage anyone thinking about doing this to do their research.’

‘Parking valued more than grass’