SiteRep

Do I need planning permission to widen my driveway in Ireland?

Usually not for widening the paved area within your own garden under Class 6 of Schedule 2 to the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, but widening the entrance itself where it meets the public road needs separate consent from the local authority as roads authority.

Extending the paved parking area within your garden falls under the same Class 6 exemption in Schedule 2 to the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 that applies to a brand-new driveway, provided the additional hard-standing is used for domestic vehicle parking and the drainage conditions in that class are met.

Widening becomes a separate issue where it involves making the entrance onto the public road wider — for example, extending a dropped kerb, removing more of a boundary wall, or reducing the width of a footpath. That physical work on or adjoining the public road is controlled by the local authority as roads authority and needs its own consent, independent of whether the driveway surface itself is exempted development.

A wider entrance can also raise road-safety issues, particularly regarding sightlines for pedestrians and other road users, and the local authority may attach conditions on the design of the entrance, kerb radius, or require works to be carried out by an approved contractor.

Checklist for widening a driveway

Work through these points:

  • The extra hard-standing area is used for domestic parking, not commercial use
  • Surface water drainage from the wider area is managed on-site
  • Any widening of the entrance or dropped kerb has separate roads-section consent
  • Sightlines remain adequate for pedestrians and other road users at the wider entrance
  • No mature boundary features protected by a tree preservation order are affected
  • Any shared boundary wall being altered is agreed with the adjoining owner where relevant

Councils generally have a straightforward licence or consent process for widening a vehicular entrance — it is usually quicker and cheaper than a planning application, but it is still a required step.

Boundary walls and neighbours

If widening the entrance involves removing part of a boundary wall shared with, or close to, a neighbour's property, discuss the works with them in advance, since boundary structures can be subject to shared ownership or rights that are separate from the planning and roads consents.

Sources

Last reviewed 20 August 2026. General information only — not legal or planning advice.

Related questions

← Back to all questions