Do you need planning permission to put a bollard on your drive?

 

With car crime seemingly out of control, many people are looking at installing a security bollard on their drive to prevent their pride and joy being stolen. But is that legal? Is the local council going to show up with a fine for breaking some little-known rule? In our blog we’ll tell you straight!

Let’s start off with the good news: Yes, you can install a bollard on your own drive – but you still have to make sure you’re following the right guidelines or you might become a cropper. Red tape is crap, we know, but it’s better to be on the right side of the law…

Installing a retractable security bollard can actually help you get cheaper home/car insurance, so it’s definitely worth talking to your insurance provider first to check if there any specific security bollards that will help you save money.

A word of warning!

When installing a telescopic driveway bollard, remember that there may be pipes or fibre-optic lines under the surface. If you just dig willy-nilly, you could be asking for trouble. It’s worth contacting the utility companies to make sure you’re not going to cause a power cut to the whole town!

When do you need planning consent for a bollard?

Well, if your house is in a conservation area, you’re probably going to face tougher restrictions, so you’ll need to get in touch with your local planning dept to make sure you’re following the correct guidelines.

If you’re thinking about installing a driveway bollard at a listed building, then you can’t do anything until you’ve got the appropriate permissions. We know that this can be a ‘right pain’ but it can potentially save you a lot of hassle and money by simply contacting the planning office first.

It may be that you’re planning to put a bollard at the end of your drive which is near to a pedestrian footpath, in which case it’s worth ringing the local highway authority. Any bollards you place on private land must not impede passing cars of stop pedestrians being impeded. That makes sense!

If you have joint access to a drive, then you will need additional permissions before you go ahead and stick a bollard on it!

Bollards on Leasehold

As you would expect, you’ll need to get the right permissions on place before you do anything. You don’t want to end up having to remove it at your own cost! Any contracts you have should have details of the guidelines you need should you wish to modify anything about the property. Talk to whoever you need to and then get written consent BEFORE you proceed. In most cases, you’ll probably be only installing one or two bollards, but you might have to give them a professionally produced drawing on what you’re thinking of.

Bollards on Residential

Here are a few tips to help everything go smoothly…

1. Talk to your neighbours and tell them what you intend to do. Even if they’re fine with you sticking a bollard on your drive, it’s best that they know that there may be some noise disturbance when it’s being installed.
2. Check your property deeds to make sure the bollard is actually going on to YOUR land and not someone else’s. This may sound obvious etc...
3. Fancy installing a bollard yourself? Well, watch out, as they can be quite difficult to install. Check out contractors to see what service they provide, and how much it will cost.
4. Here at speedystreetsolutions.com we can help you select the right bollard for you – we have a range of retractable, anti-ram or removable bollards which are perfect for putting on your drive to enhance security. Call us today if you need any advice. Our staff are based in OUR office and you won’t be held in a queue, getting really annoyed!

We stock a wide range of security driveway bollards including Autolok Telescopic Ground Achors (for mootorbikes) to Electric Mechanical Bollards. We have a wide range of security driveway bollards available at the best prices you'll find anywhere!

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