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Class B: access to a highway under permitted development
Class B of GPDO Part 2 can permit the formation, laying out and construction of access to a highway which is neither a trunk road nor a classified road. The access must be required in connection with development permitted by another class in Schedule 2, excluding Class A of Part 2.
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Permitted development can avoid a full planning application, but only if the right applies and every relevant limit and condition is met. Planning Geek can check the planning history, Article 4 directions and other restrictions, and help with a lawful development certificate or prior approval where needed.
The three questions that decide whether Class B applies
- Is the road a highway which is neither a trunk road nor a classified road?
- What development permitted by Schedule 2 requires this access?
- Does that other development actually meet all the limits and conditions of its own class?
Class B is not a general permission to create any additional entrance simply because the road is quiet or unclassified. The connection with another permitted development right is essential. Identify that right and explain why the access is required for the development.
Examples of the connection with other development
An access may be required for a driveway or hard surface which qualifies under Part 1 Class F. That driveway must itself satisfy Class F, including the applicable drainage requirements. An agricultural proposal may have a different qualifying right under Part 6, but its agricultural tests and any prior approval procedure must be considered separately.
The express exclusion of Part 2 Class A means that building a gate, fence or wall cannot, by itself, supply the qualifying development for Class B. It does not prevent gates being assessed separately under Class A where an access otherwise qualifies.
Where the associated development needs an express planning application, Class B cannot simply be assumed to authorise its access. Include the access in the planning assessment and application where appropriate.
How to check whether the road is classified
A roads and B roads are classified roads, but the absence of an A or B number on a sign is not proof that a road is unclassified. Locally classified roads, including C roads, also need checking. A road’s adoption status, its speed limit and its classification are different questions.
Obtain confirmation from the local highway authority where there is any doubt. National Highways deals with the strategic road network in England. Online maps and street lists can help identify a road but should not be treated as conclusive evidence of classification for Class B.
A dropped kerb still needs separate highway checks
Planning permission and highway permission are separate. Work affecting the pavement, verge or carriageway, including a vehicle crossover or dropped kerb, may require the highway authority’s approval under section 184 of the Highways Act 1980. The authority may specify the design and who can carry out the work.
Class B does not give a right to cross land you do not control. Check ownership, private rights, public rights of way and any restrictions on the existing access. Visibility, drainage, gradients, trees and street furniture can also affect whether a practical scheme can proceed.
Walls, hedges and conservation areas
Removing the boundary to create an opening needs its own assessment. Relevant demolition in a conservation area, listed building controls, protected trees and protected countryside hedgerows can require separate consent or procedures. Conservation area status does not, on its own, disapply Class B.
Class B contains no stand-alone prior approval procedure. Another class relied on for the associated development may contain one. Where eligibility is uncertain, a proposed lawful development certificate should identify both the access works and the relevant permitted development on which Class B depends.
Checks before work starts
Permitted development is a grant of planning permission subject to the legislation. Check the planning history, any condition restricting the right and any applicable Article 4 direction. The existing use and development must be lawful where the GPDO requires this. A conservation area designation does not by itself remove every Part 2 right.
These rights apply in England. They do not override ownership, lease restrictions, restrictive covenants, listed building consent, highway consent or other separate controls. Where the planning position needs formal confirmation, a lawful development certificate can establish whether a clearly specified proposal is lawful. An informal opinion is not the same as a certificate.
Class B legislation
Source: GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 2. The operative wording below omits editorial amendment annotations. Read it with the GPDO general provisions.
Class B – means of access to a highway
Permitted development
B. The formation, laying out and construction of a means of access to a highway which is not a trunk road or a classified road, where that access is required in connection with development permitted by any Class in this Schedule (other than by Class A of this Part).
Explore GPDO Part 2
Part 2 overview: minor operations
- Class A: gates, fences and wallsNew enclosures, height limits and changes to existing boundaries
- Class B: access to a highwayAccess required for qualifying permitted development on an unclassified road
- Class C: exterior paintingColour changes, advertising exceptions and heritage controls
- Class D: wall mounted charging outletsElectric vehicle outlets in lawful off-street parking
- Class E: charging upstands and equipmentFreestanding chargers and qualifying non-domestic equipment housing
- Class F: security CCTVBuilding-mounted cameras with size, height and spacing limits
- Class G: moveable pub and restaurant structuresOne qualifying structure, subject to footprint, height and location limits
Back to Part 1: development within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse
Updated: 24th September 2026