New Driveway? How to apply for a dropped kerb

How do I go about getting a dropped kerb for my driveway?

It's a question we're often asked in conversations between homeowners and our customer advisors (here in Derby) when they're enquiring after having a driveway laid or re-surfaced. A 'dropped kerb' is the crossing over a footpath or verge from the highway to gain access to your property and as such will be required to be built to certain local authority standards and may require planning permission.

Your local council are responsible for ensuring that any 'crossings' are strong enough to take the weight or permitted vehicles without risk to underlying services or pedestrians. They have the power to remove a crossing if it's constructed without permission.

To get a dropped kerb, you'll need to apply to your local council, who will either charge you for doing the work themselves or direct you to a list of council approved contractors who meet their legal requirements. It may be worth checking with your paving / driveway company if they're registered to handle the drop kerb. In such cases, they may even be able to make the application on your behalf.

Generally, a dropped kerb will only require planning permission if the property fronts directly onto a classified road, is a listed building or is other than a house or family dwelling.

There are also rules regarding the parking space available once the kerb has been dropped. Remember, you won't be allowed to overhang onto the pavement or verge area with any part of a vehicle. There are also strict rules on the measurements allowed for a single or double entrance dropped kerb. It's not possible to simply extend the dropped area by an extra segment to make life easier.

Did you know that if you have a skip delivered (or other heavy load) and the delivery vehicle damages the crossing area, you're responsible for the repair costs?

If you're thinking of solving your off road parking problems by having a driveway installed and you don't have a dropped kerb already, then unless permission is denied, it's relatively straightforward to have arranged.

Check with your paving companies when they're quoting - they may already be on the councils approved contractors list which will save you having to organise another company to come and complete that part.

The first step is to get a quote for your paving project, whether that's in block paving, impressed concrete or tarmac and get a rough idea of cost. We can then conduct a search of local paving contractors for you to contact yourself and enquire further or simply confirm your online quote in writing.

You'll find more information on having a kerb dropped from your local council. Local councils conditions and application processes may vary. Always check with them or an approved contractor before starting any work. It's no good having a nice new driveway if you can't access it to park your car on, oh and in case you were wondering, blocks of wood etc to make driving up the kerb possible are also illegal.