Renting out your drive. Is it legal?

We’ve been finding more out about this. There’s a lot of it about in Headington!

Here is the  CLG Planning Policy Guidance

Is planning permission required to rent out a parking space?

The Government’s view is that it should be possible to rent parking spaces without planning permission, provided there are no substantive planning concerns such as public nuisance to neighbours.

There is a public interest from such renting, by providing more cheap and flexible parking spaces for people to park their car and taking pressure away from on-street parking.

The decision on whether renting out a parking space requires planning permission will depend on two principal factors:

  1. The first is whether renting out a parking space results in a material change in the use of the space. Determining whether there has been a material change of use will depend on whether a space is used in a significantly different way to how a parking space would normally be used (irrespective of the identity of the driver). For example, if by renting out spaces, it causes a notable public or neighbour nuisance. A local planning authority will make this decision based on relevant facts and on a case by case basis.
  2. The second is whether there are any other relevant planning considerations, such as planning conditions, which impose restrictions that prevent parking spaces being rented out.

If renting out parking spaces does not amount to a material change of use and if there are no other planning considerations that prevent parking spaces from being rented out then it would not require planning permission.

2 thoughts on “Renting out your drive. Is it legal?

  1. David Clover says:

    Clearly it is your own space to do with as you like. However, it is quite a bargain for the house owner with a car in that you buy the Council street parking permit at £60 and you can then potentially raise several thousands of pounds in a year from renting the space whilst your own car is parked in the street. Perhaps when people do this they might be asked to pay some of the profit they make into the Council. It’s perhaps analogous to paying higher water rates if you use a hosepipe for the garden.

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