Vehicle crossings and dropped kerbs

If your property does not already have access to a road you can apply for permission to create a vehicle crossing (a dropped kerb) over a footpath or grass verge.

Do I need a crossing?

It is an offence under Section 184 of the Highways Act 1980 to gain vehicle access to a property or land without a constructed vehicle crossing. For example, by using a normal footpath or verge.

After completion of the work we will accept responsibility for all future maintenance of the crossing. Permission to install a crossing must be obtained before works are carried out. The works to install the dropped kerb is your responsibility.

Conditions

There are a number of rules to be aware of before applying:

if you already have a crossing, we won't authorise a second
you must have enough room on your property (at least 4.8m in length and 2.4m width) to ensure vehicles can be parked completely on your property to avoid your vehicle overhanging on to a public footpath.
avoid removing tree roots
be at least 1.5m from street lights and other street furniture
be more than 10m away from a road junction or 15m on major roads and busy junctions

Planning permission

You will need to apply for planning permission to drop a kerb if;

the kerb to be dropped is on a trunk or classified road (class A, B & C roads)
any work you intend to carry out in connection with the dropped is not ‘permitted development’
the kerb to be dropped is not onto a trunk or classified road, but is the only work you are carrying out

You can check if a road is a trunk or classified road on the National Street Gazetteer.

However, you will not need to apply for planning permission if the kerb to be dropped is not on a trunk or classified road, and any work you intend to carry out in connection with the dropped kerb is permitted development (so does not require planning permission). For example: installation of porous hardstanding, building a freestanding garage, car port or extension.

Further information can be found on our permitted development page.

How do I apply?

Once you are sure your application satisfies the conditions set out above, you can make an application to us for:

approval to undertake the required work
approval for the crossing/dropped kerb to be adopted once constructed. This means that we will become responsible for all ongoing maintenance.

You will need the following before you can submit your application:

location details, including a sketch or plan showing the required position and size of the proposed crossing
contractor Public Liability Insurance certificate (if your contractor undertaking the work has been selected)
contractor Streetworks Accreditation certificate (if your contractor undertaking the work has been selected)
planning approval document (if required)
planned start and end date of work

Apply

How much does it cost and what happens next?

There is a non-refundable charge of £83.50 per application to cover the assessment and administration costs associated with your application.

Once your application has been submitted and we have all the information required to process your application, a decision will be issued to you in around five working days. If anything is missing we will contact you.

When your application has been approved you will be issued with an application pack. It's important that you read and follow the instructions in the application pack to avoid unexpected extra costs