Areas · Plymouth
Landscaping in Plymouth
In short We cross the Tamar from Saltash, Cornwall, to build patios, lawns, decking and garden walls in Plymouth, Devon, including Plympton, Plymstock, Tamerton Foliot and Estover. Plymouth is its own council, so Plymouth City Council's rules apply, and they differ from Cornwall's.
Over the Tamar from Saltash.
We are based just across the river in Saltash, and Plymouth is a few minutes over the Tamar Bridge into Devon. If you are looking for landscapers in Plymouth, the work is the same as at home: patios in sandstone, porcelain or concrete slabs, new lawns, raised decks, sleeper beds, walls and fencing.
Plymouth gardens vary a lot. Narrow terraced plots with rear lanes, steep gardens that need steps and a retaining wall, and newer homes with a bare plot behind them. The first conversation is about access and levels, because those decide how the job runs.
Plymouth City Council
The rules a Plymouth garden meets.
From Plymouth City Council's dropped kerbs page and the national permitted development rules. Checked 22 October 2026.
A dropped kerb
Your hardstanding must be at least 4.8 m deep by 2.7 m wide. All work must be carried out by an accredited contractor, who submits a Section 171 highway permit. Applications take 6 to 8 weeks.
Planning comes first for some homes
You need planning permission before applying for a vehicle crossing if you are on a classified road, in a listed building or conservation area, in a property other than a single-family house, making major changes to ground levels, or laying an impermeable hardstanding.
Walls, fences and front gardens
The national permitted development limits apply: walls and fences over 1 m next to a road used by vehicles, or 2 m elsewhere, need planning permission, and so does front garden paving over 5 m² that does not drain.
Two councils, one river
Saltash or Plymouth rules?
The river changes the council. Here is how the two compare for the jobs people ask about most.
| Saltash (Cornwall Council) | Plymouth (Plymouth City Council) | |
|---|---|---|
| Smallest hardstanding for a dropped kerb | 2.5 m wide by 5.0 m deep | 2.7 m wide by 4.8 m deep |
| Who does the pavement work | An accredited contractor (Streetworks Supervisor and Operative, £5 million cover) | An accredited contractor who submits a Section 171 highway permit (£5 million cover) |
| How long the council takes | A minimum of six weeks | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Planning first? | Your job to check before applying | Required first on classified roads, listed buildings, conservation areas, homes other than a single-family house, big level changes and impermeable hardstanding |
| Walls and fences | 1 m by a road, 2 m elsewhere (national rule) | 1 m by a road, 2 m elsewhere (national rule) |
- PatiosSandstone, porcelain and concrete slabs, laid on a proper base
- DrivewaysDriveway preparation and builds, and the council steps
- DeckingGround-level and raised timber decks with balustrades
- Turf and artificial grassGround prepared, then turf or artificial grass laid
- Walls and stoneworkBrick, block, stone and sleeper walls
- RenderingWalls rendered, often as part of a garden job
- PergolasA pergola placed where it earns its keep
- FencingConcrete panel, feather-edge, Venetian and composite fencing
The other side of the river
We are based in Saltash.
Saltash is in Cornwall, so the rules there are Cornwall Council's. A crossing on that side needs a hardstanding at least 2.5 m wide and 5.0 m deep.
FAQ
Plymouth questions
Do you cover Plympton, Plymstock, Tamerton Foliot and Estover?
Yes. They are all within Plymouth. We cross from Saltash for Plymouth jobs. Send us the area and what you need.
Why do the rules change across the river?
The Tamar is the border between Cornwall and Devon. Saltash falls under Cornwall Council and Plymouth under Plymouth City Council, and each sets its own process for things like dropped kerbs.
My house is in a conservation area. Does that matter?
It can. Plymouth City Council says planning permission is needed before applying for a vehicle crossing in a conservation area, and other work may need checking too. Ask the council before you start.
Can you lay a patio on a small terraced garden?
Yes. Small gardens behind terraced houses are common in Plymouth. Access, levels against the house and where the rainwater goes are the things to talk through.
Sources
Checked 22 October 2026. Rules change, so check your own address with the council before work starts.
- Plymouth City Council: dropped kerbs
- Plymouth City Council: conservation areas
- The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 2 Class A (gates, fences and walls)
- The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 1 Class F (hard surfaces)
- Cornwall Council: apply to install a new dropped kerb or alter an existing access
Planning a garden in Plymouth?
Send us a few photos and the area. We reply ourselves.