How has Bishop's Stortford's housing changed?

Bishop's Stortford is an old market town that has grown a great deal. The centre, with its conservation area, keeps narrow streets and older buildings. Around it are Victorian and Edwardian terraces, larger villas, inter-war semis and post-war estates, and more recently the town has expanded with large new neighbourhoods on its edges. That mix means driveway questions here range from a tight terrace frontage to a brand new house with a developer's drive.

What about Victorian and Edwardian streets?

Many terraced houses near the centre have small front gardens or none at all, so there may simply be no space for a car. Where there is, it may be too shallow for a parked car to clear the pavement, which matters when you apply for a dropped kerb. Hertfordshire County Council asks for a parking area at least 5 metres deep and 2.7 metres wide, so measure the space before you get attached to the idea.

I have bought a new-build house. Can I change the drive?

Often, but check three things first.

Whether the roads have been adopted. On new estates, the roads and pavements sometimes stay in the developer's hands for a while, and you cannot apply to the county council for a crossing onto a private road.
Whether the planning permission for the estate removed some permitted development rights, which can happen on newer developments.
Whether your deeds or transfer contain covenants about front gardens, parking or surfacing.

Developers often lay block paving with drainage planned for the whole estate, so widening a drive or paving over a lawn can change how water leaves your plot.

What about the outlying parts of CM22 and CM23?

The two districts also take in villages and countryside around the town, some over the Essex border. For a home in Essex, the highway authority is Essex County Council rather than Hertfordshire. Rural drives are often longer, so gravel or tarmac is common, with a paved apron where the drive meets the road.

What should I check before work starts?

Whether you live in the conservation area or a listed building.
Whether any nearby tree is protected.
Where rainwater from the new surface will go.
Where pipes and cables run under the front garden.

How does an enquiry from Bishop's Stortford work?

Fill in one short form. With your consent, we pass it to one local driveway installer who covers your postcode, and to nobody else. If no one covers it, we tell you and do not share your details.

Who you will hear from

We pass your enquiry to one local driveway installer, if one covers your postcode. It is never sent to a list of companies. If nobody covers your postcode, we will tell you and will not pass your details on.