Home Q&A: Do I have the right to park in front of my house?

There’s no right to place bollards or other obstructions there even with a parking permit in place.

As for demanding your neighbours and other motorists do not take the space? 

Well, without designated parking for residents alone, you don’t have a leg to stand on. 

It’s maddening to have to park at a distance to make room for a commuter or even a neighbour, but the law is not behind you. Without a permit to park or a current tax disc, you will be ticketed or clamped like any other motorist.

Is it illegal for someone to block my driveway? 

No, but of course you would have good grounds to complain, especially if you cannot get your own car out of the drive. Even slightly across your gate, it may be impossible to get your car out. 

If there is infraction on any sort of pedestrian feature like say a pedestrian crossing or a sloping pavement intended for pedestrians (termed a dropped kerb), you could get the Gardaí involved. This is a parking offence, and likely to get the car towed if the driver does not scamper back and move it. 

It’s traffic flow and pedestrian safely that will get the council and/or Gardaí involved. 

If you set up cones, for instance, to stop anyone parking or pulling up outside your home on the roadside, you are technically interfering with the highway, crazy as that might sound. Don’t attempt to move a rogue car yourself, call the Gardaí for advice.

Can I make the front garden of my suburban house into a parking space? 

You might be able to do so, especially if you can show neighbours have successfully made these changes but don’t put your pedal to the metal yet. These changes require planning permission and the submission of various documents and permits to prove your case. 

Taking down the boundary to allow more access can interfere with or totally eliminates the on-street parking outside what was a garden wall edged by a pavement. This is seen as upsetting existing amenities that could cause hazards for pedestrians and puts extra pressure on existing on-street parking in a locality. 

The maximum width of driveways in towns in Ireland is generally 3.6m. The local authority will need to examine access and egress for any proposed driveway, especially where are car is likely to enter a busy area of road or one with a junction.

 Am I responsible for rain flowing off my driveway? 

Yes, except in the case of a Biblical flood event, water coming off your driveway should be dealt with in the planning stage. It should not be just streaming off to the public road in large amounts to drains, and watercourses. 

An engineer can provide suggestions to improve a driveway that’s shedding water to the public roadway, or creating a soft boggy spot at the end of an existing driveway. 

If your driveway is being repeatedly affected by your neighbour’s poor drainage (and they won’t address it) or excess water is cascading down a public road onto your access, approach the local authority for advice. 

South Dublin County Council came out with an excellent guide to sustainable drainage options including “swales”, rain-gardens, permeable paving and bioretention. Download it at https://www.sdcc.ie/en/services/environment/environmental-health/water-services/sustainable-drainage-systems/sdcc-householders-guide-to-sustainable-drainage-suds-.pdf.

How much room do I need to comfortably park a car on my driveway? 

A parking spot is around 5m by 2m. This does not include the room needed to get out of the car, to manoeuvre the car, or to park cars side by side in a cramped situation. 

If you have two cars think about a space for each car of about 3m by 6m plus (to include exiting the car either side). For a larger car where you have an EV charger, you should add a little more room. 

Leave at least 0.6m to pull up any garage door and think about getting around the cars with a buggy, bike or wheelchair to get to the front door or the rear access of the house. 

An architect or engineer can help you to ensure there is plenty of approach, reversing and door room. You can park one car behind the other, but this could prove an ongoing nuisance.

Why are there splays at the end of driveways and w
ill this influence planning permission? 

Your driveway is a vital part of planning in terms of safety, access, drainage and in some cases its finish. 

The Law Society of Ireland gives this example of the typical conditions of planning you may encounter if you are building a new one-off home: “Prior to commencement of development, vision lines of 68 metres shall be provided in each direction, at a point 3.05 metres back from the road edge at location of vehicular entrance. Said vision lines should be based on eye object height equal to 1.06 metres over height of 1.06 metres. 

“Documentary evidence of consent for location of vision lines over third-party lands shall be submitted to the planning authority for written agreement prior to commencement of development.” 

These vision lines will depend on the project. The splay is there to help you leave your driveway with a safe view of approaching traffic.

How do I get a residential parking permit if I live in a town or city? 

Every local authority is different of course, but let’s imagine you live in a suburban area of Cork or Dublin that has requires parking discs. There will be designated areas where permits are available. To qualify for residential parking you must live in the house for more than 183 days of the year, and that would include staying overnight. You fill out a form and submit it to the council for a permit. 

There’s a simple form to complete together with a small fee. You must state that you are the insurer of the car, provide the NCT details, prove you live at that address (with utility bills or paid up LPT) and copies of a tenancy agreement if you are renting etc. 

Be warned, if you change the car or its details, you should forward this to the local authority. The car should display a current tax disc at all times.

• Got a home improvement or DIY question for Kya deLongchamps our Home team? Email home@examiner.ie