There may be a solution to the parking issue for those with front gardens that have room for parking, but lack car access. Victorian and Edwardian houses in parts of Dublin 4, 6, South Co Dublin, Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown, Clontarf and Malahide with front pedestrian gates, can fall into this category.

So what is involved in applying to your local authority for planning permission to create a wider entrance for off-street parking, and how are you likely to fare? "First, look at your local development plan (available on the local authority website) and see if you are in a conservation area or architectural conservation area. We have 43 conservation areas," says Richard Cremins, Chief Planner, DúLaoghaire/Rathdown Council, adding that living in such areas doesn't mean planning permission is automatically denied.

Generic application forms can be downloaded from your local authority's website. If you need clarification (and this student of official-speak found some sections extremely bewildering) most planning departments will explain relevant points.

Your application must be accompanied by professional drawings and plans to scale, drawn up by architect or technician. Photographs may accompany your application, but are not essential.

You must erect a valid site notice at your home, and insert a notice in a newspaper (again the form of words is available from local authority websites).

"The key issue in relation to the granting of such applications is traffic safety. If you are reversing out of your home, you must be in a position to see oncoming traffic and not be a source of danger to a member of the public, or yourself," says Colm Ryan, Chief Planner, Dublin South County Council.

Would a gate mirror swing the balance? "It's impossible to say. Each application is done on a case-by-case basis," he says.

You should receive a response within eight weeks of lodging the plans, although the authorities may look for more information. Aesthetic and environmental considerations are taken very seriously. For example, the changes needed to provide your precious parking space could be regarded as incompatible with the character of the area. Or your home.

There are over 2,000 protected structures (formally called listed buildings) in Dún Laoghaire/ Rathdown, where the work could, for example, take some of the original boundary wall.

"However, you may be able to reuse some of the original wrought iron railing. There are ways around many situations," says Cremins.

The good news is that most planning applications are successful. Local authorities may impose conditions, concerning, for example, gate width, or a balance between parking and planted areas in the front garden.

Finally, off-street parking improves the value of your home, and could add from five per cent to the selling price. Pat Mullery is a partner with Douglas Newman Good: "I sold a house in Rathgar recently for €2 million. One of its big selling points was off-street parking which I reckon added €100,000 to its value," he says.