Your name and comments (but not your email address) will be viewable online. Any anonymous comments cannot be taken into consideration and will not be viewable online.

Detailed guidance in relation to this on our website 

Is planning permission required?

If you require written confirmation as to whether your proposal is permitted development, you will need to submit a formal application for a Lawful Development Certificate. (Please note this does not apply to adverts and signs).

This will require the payment of a fee.

The relevant forms, details of fees and guidance on Lawful Development Certificates can be found and downloaded on the Planning Portal

We cannot confirm the current usage of a premise as the permissions granted in the past may not have been implemented. To ascertain the current use, you will need to apply for a Lawful Development Certificate on the Planning Portal 

Register your enquiry on the Planning and BE Public Register

If you have submitted a complaint you will receive an acknowledgement confirmation within 5 working days, if your query is within this timescale, you will not receive a response to your email.

If you suspect unauthorised works, please check the public register for granted planning permission

If you believe no permission for the works has been granted or works are not accordance with the approved planning permission report a breach of planning controls

Use this link to request information relating to any planning or tree application.  

Opening hours and ways to contact Folkestone & Hythe District Council

Use the link below for details relating to trees in a Conservation Area, request a TPO and works to trees with an existing TPO.

Tree preservation orders (TPO)

Further information on dropped kerbs

Means of access onto the highway is covered by Part 2 Class B of the Town & Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 (as amended).

If you are creating a new access or widening an existing one and the access is on to a classified road or trunk road planning permission will be required.

If you are creating a new access or widening an existing one onto an unclassified road planning permission will not be required provided that the following criteria are met:

· no significant alteration of land levels is required;

· the works do not create an obstruction to the view of people using the road;

· the access is not required in connection with development that needs planning permission; and

· the dropped kerb/means of access on to an unclassified road is also required in connection with development that is also permitted by any other Class within Schedule 2 of the Town & Country Planning (General permitted Development) Order 2015 (with the exception of Class A of Part 2).

Dropped kerbs are generally required alongside the creation of hard surfaces incidental to the main dwelling (e.g. driveways) but can also be required to serve existing driveways/hardstanding to the front of a dwelling house.

Hard surfaces incidental to the enjoyment of a dwelling house is covered by Part 1, Class F of the Town & Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 (as amended).

Any new or replacement hard surfacing required for the access, driveway or associated parking area to the front of a property would not generally require formal planning permission to be sought if the surface to be covered is less than 5 square metres and would be situated on land between the front of the dwelling house and the highway. This is provided no significant changes in land levels are required to create it and that the surfacing is of a porous material, or provision is at least made to direct run-off water from the hard surface to a permeable or porous area or surface within the curtilage of the dwelling house.

If the new or replacement hard surfacing exceeds 5 square metres in area planning permission will not be required provided it is made of porous materials or provision is made to direct run-off water from the hard surface to a permeable or porous area or surface within the curtilage of the house. Again this is provided no significant changes in land levels are required to create it.

To check whether or not a road is classified please go to the Kent County Council’s website to enable you to look at the classification of your road on their Gazetteer If there is no letter and number next to the road name then the road is unclassified. The email address is gazatteer@kent.gov.uk and imputing Public and Private Roads into the search engine will deliver the link to the Gazetteer.