Rutland Driveways & Landscaping 07312 132517 Site visit
Buff block paving finished with a charcoal soldier course border
Rutland · Stamford · Oakham

Driveway drainage

Since 2008, paving more than 5m² of front garden with an impermeable surface that drains to the road needs planning permission.

Request a site visit See our projects
5 yearWritten guarantee
VubaApproved resin installer
NVQQualified
8 yearsTrading in Rutland

Since 2008, paving more than 5m² of front garden with an impermeable surface that drains to the road needs planning permission. A permeable surface, or water directed to a soakaway, border or lawn on your own land, generally does not. On the clay around Oakham, Langham and Market Harborough the drainage has to be designed, not assumed.

Planning rule
Permeable, or drains to your own land
Soakaways
Need ground that absorbs water
Foul sewer
Never connected

Our 2026 guide prices where shown. Your fixed price comes in writing after the site visit.

Driveway drainage

Three ways to drain a drive

A permeable surface, such as resin bound or permeable block, on an open-graded base that lets rain soak through. A conventional surface laid to falls, with channel drains feeding a soakaway or crate system. Or falls towards a lawn or planted border that can take the water.

Which one works depends on the ground. Limestone around Stamford, Ketton and Greetham usually takes a soakaway; the Vale of Catmose clay and the mudstones around Market Harborough often do not, so we test the ground before choosing.

Driveway drainage

Where water must not go

Surface water from a drive cannot go into the foul sewer, and it should not run onto the road or the footway. Where a public sewer is involved, Anglian Water's rules apply.

Recent finishes

The kind of finish we build

Buff block paving finished with a charcoal soldier course border
Buff block paving finished with a charcoal soldier course border
Permeable block paving driveway at a red-brick Stamford house
Permeable block paving driveway at a red-brick Stamford house
Resin bound surface finished against a granite sett edge
Resin bound surface finished against a granite sett edge
Front garden dug out and levelled for a new driveway at a stone house
Front garden dug out and levelled for a new driveway at a stone house
Completed jobs

Recent jobs like this

Finished brindle block paved driveway with a charcoal double border in front of a brick house in Ryhall

Block paved driveway and dropped kerb, Ryhall

Slabs and an old crossing replaced with a three-car block drive, channel drain and wider dropped kerb.

Full-width charcoal block paved driveway in front of a brick semi-detached house in Oakham

Charcoal block paved driveway, Oakham

A full-width charcoal herringbone drive with channel drains, built after a garage conversion at the same house.

Red brindle herringbone block parking bay beside a tarmac drive in front of a house in Oakham

Block paved parking bay, Oakham

A tarmac drive widened with a herringbone block bay and a curved soldier-course edge.

★★★★★

Rated 5.0 from 37 Google reviews

“Great job from Lewis and his team adding drainage to an existing driveway. Professional job from start to finish, good communication all the way through, and just thought of everything in advance so everything went very smoothly. Top job by a top bloke.”

Gordon · Drainage for an existing driveway — Google review

“Lewis transformed my garden from a muddy bog and but in drainage and a Beautiful porcelain patio. All the tradesmen worked hard and were very conscientious. Couldn't recommend more!!!!”

Peter · Garden drainage and porcelain patio — Google review
Read the reviews
Questions

Things people ask us

How much does driveway drainage cost?
A channel drain across a Rutland driveway usually costs £1,000–£1,800 installed, or £120–£200 per metre for a heavy-duty channel connected to a soakaway or suitable drain. Soakaways are priced after a percolation test, because their size depends on how quickly the ground drains. The driveway drainage cost guide has worked examples.
Is a resin bound driveway really permeable?
Yes, when it is laid on a porous base. Resin laid over old concrete or a sealed tarmac base is not, which is one reason we break out the old surface.
Can I connect my driveway drainage to the street drain?
No. Road gullies belong to the highway authority and are not there to take water from private drives, and surface water must never go into the foul sewer. The legal routes are a soakaway or crate system, a permeable area or planted border on your own land, or, where the ground cannot cope, an approved surface water sewer connection agreed with Anglian Water.
What is a soakaway and how big does a driveway soakaway need to be?
A soakaway is an underground chamber, usually plastic crates wrapped in geotextile or a stone-filled pit, that holds rainwater and lets it soak into the ground. Its size depends on the area draining to it and how fast the ground takes water, so it is sized from a percolation test. It should normally sit at least 5m from the house or any building.
What is a percolation test for driveway drainage?
A percolation test measures how fast your ground takes water: a test hole is dug, filled with water and timed as it drains, usually more than once. The result decides whether a soakaway will work and how big it needs to be. Limestone around Stamford and Ketton often passes easily; Oakham's clay often does not, and then a lined system or approved outlet is needed.
Why does water pool on my driveway?
Water pools on a driveway because the falls are wrong, part of the base has sunk, or the water has nowhere to go at the low point. On clay, a soakaway that was never sized for the ground fills and stops working. Each cause has a different fix, from relaying a dip to adding a channel drain, so we find the cause before pricing anything.
What fall should a driveway have for drainage?
A driveway is usually laid to a fall of around 1 in 60 to 1 in 80, always away from the house and garage towards a drain, soakaway or planted area. The finished surface should also sit at least 150mm below the damp-proof course; where it cannot, a channel drain at the threshold is needed so water cannot reach the wall.
Does driveway drainage need planning permission?
No, drainage work on your own driveway does not need planning permission. What matters is where the water goes: not into the foul sewer, not onto the road or footway, and any new connection to a public sewer needs Anglian Water's approval. Work that crosses the footway needs the highway authority's consent.
Can drainage be added to an existing driveway without relaying it?
Yes, in most cases. A channel drain can be cut into an existing block, tarmac or resin drive, bedded in concrete and run to a soakaway or other legal outlet, with the surface made good either side. If the real problem is a sunken area or wrong falls, relaying that section may be the better fix, and we tell you which.
Does a permeable driveway still need drainage?
On free-draining ground, a permeable driveway is the drainage: rain soaks through the surface and base into the ground. On clay, which barely takes water, the base is lined and drained through a controlled outlet to a soakaway, crate or approved connection, so it still holds the rain and releases it slowly. We test the ground first.
Guide prices

What driveway drainage costs

A channel drain across a typical driveway or garage entrance costs about £1,000–£1,800 installed, or £120–£200 per metre for a heavy-duty, vehicle-rated channel. Soakaways are sized and priced after a percolation test.

Drainage work on your own driveway does not need planning permission, but surface water must not go into the foul sewer or onto the road, and any new connection to a public sewer needs the water company's approval.

Guide prices from 2026 online price guides, at the higher end. Your fixed price comes in writing after the site visit.

By area

Driveway drainage near you

Prices

What driveway drainage cost

Our driveway drainage cost guide breaks the price down: what is included, what changes it and what to check in any quote.

Request a site visit

We measure up, check levels and drainage, and send a written proposal with the build-up, the programme and one whole price. No pressure and no follow-up sales calls.

Request a site visit Call 07312 132517
☎Call 07312 132517 Site visit