Been meaning to flag this up for a couple of weeks:Thanks to the work of Brockley councillor and London Assembly member Darren Johnson and other members of the London Assembly Environment committee, as of 1st October, planning permission is now needed for paving front gardens. The new planning laws respond to calls in the Crazy Paving report for legislation to control the number of concrete-covered gardens in London.
Paving over front gardens can cause drainage problems and flooding problems, has a detrimental impact on the environment and very often looks hideous. The report estimated that green space equivalent to the size of 22 Hyde Parks had been lost as a result of people paving over their front gardens, so it's great that the government responded to these concerns and passed this legislation.
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Do you think there is any chance of Lewisham enforcing this, or will it be like so many other planning issues that they do not have the manpower to enforce?
Planning enforcement really only has the capacity to enforce reactively, ie in response to complaints from amenities societies or individuals - it doesn't have officers patrolling the streets looking for planning infringements. If they receive information about an infringement, eg from Forest Hill, they should follow it up, initially by asking for the homeowner to submit a planning application. Then if they don't get a response, they should be able to issue an enforcement notice. If you don't think that is happening, ask your local councillors to follow it up.
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