Dropped Kerbs: Cost, Rules & How to Apply

A dropped kerb, formally known as a vehicular crossover, allows vehicles to cross from the public highway onto a private driveway without damaging the kerb or footpath. If you want off-street parking and your property currently has a standard raised kerb at the boundary, you will need one. But you cannot simply hire a contractor and have it done: the footway is public highway, and all dropped kerb work requires formal consent from your local highway authority.¹

How Much Does a Dropped Kerb Cost?

Costs vary significantly depending on your highway authority, the material of the footpath, how wide the crossover needs to be, and whether utility services run beneath the footpath.

Application fees vary by council. Bradford charges £120, and refunds £60 if it refuses the crossing.³ Bedford charges £177.25 for a site visit and an estimate of the works.⁴ Wandsworth charges £299.⁵

The application fee is charged separately from the construction, so a straightforward job with no utilities to move comes to roughly £1,700 to £3,350 all in. Councils that do the work themselves and councils that let you use an approved contractor publish figures in the same range, which is why they are one line here rather than two: the difference comes from the authority and the size of the job, and London is not automatically the dearest.

In London, dropped kerb work is nearly always carried out by the borough’s highway team or an approved contractor on its framework. Wandsworth, for example, charges a fixed £2,311 for a standard domestic crossing for up to two cars, built in grey bricks.⁵ The top of the range is outside London: Norfolk gives £3,050 as its average cost at 2026 prices.⁶ Many councils build the crossing themselves, and Bradford, for example, does not let you use your own contractor.³ A few let you hire a contractor instead: in Devon the contractor applies for a licence on your behalf, which costs £568.⁷ Devon expects the work itself to cost somewhere between £1,500 and £3,000.⁷

Where the council builds it, a straightforward crossing on a standard footway with no utilities to move starts at about £1,575: that is Manchester’s published starting cost for its minimum crossing of roughly 3 metres, including up to 2 metres towards the property.⁸

Do You Need Planning Permission?

On most residential streets you do not need planning permission for the dropped kerb itself, because permitted development rights cover a new access. That right does not extend to a trunk road or a classified road, so a crossing onto an A, B or C road needs planning permission as well as highway consent.⁹ Your council can tell you whether your road is classified. Beyond that, you need:

1. Highway authority consent, always required. The council owns the footpath and carriageway, so any work on it legally requires their permission.
2. Planning permission if a new hard surface between the front of the house and the road will cover more than 5m², unless it is permeable (such as gravel or permeable block paving) or the run-off is directed to a lawn or border within the property.¹⁰ This requirement comes from changes made to the General Permitted Development Order in October 2008 to reduce flooding and pollution from paved front gardens.¹¹

Check with your local planning authority if you are unsure. Conservation areas and listed buildings may have additional restrictions.

How to Apply for a Dropped Kerb

The process differs slightly by council but follows a broadly similar pattern across England and Wales:

Step 1: Check feasibility Before applying, assess whether a crossover is practical. Highway authorities will typically refuse consent where:

• There is a junction, traffic signal or pedestrian crossing close by; each council sets its own distance, and Bradford, for example, wants a crossing at least 15 metres from a junction³
• The road is a classified (A, B or C) road, where planning permission is also needed and access is more tightly controlled
• The sight lines from your proposed access are insufficient for safe exit
• Trees, lamp posts, bus stops, or utility apparatus cannot be relocated

Step 2: Submit an application Most councils now have an online application portal. You will typically need to provide:

• The address and property details
• A site plan or map showing the proposed crossover location
• Details of the driveway surface material (relevant for planning purposes)
• Payment of the application fee

Step 3: Survey and approval A highways officer will inspect the site, check utility records, and issue a formal approval with conditions. Timescales vary by council and can run to several months. Bradford, for example, asks you to chase it if you have not heard within 28 working days, and builds approved crossings within 10 weeks of payment.³

Step 4: The work Depending on your council’s policy, you will either:

• Pay the council to carry out the work using their own team or approved contractor, or
• Hire a council-approved private contractor, who must work to the highway authority’s specification and standards

Never instruct any contractor to start work on the footpath or carriageway before written approval is received. Be precise about what the Highways Act 1980 does here, because it is usually stated too loosely. Section 184 does not create an offence of building a crossing without consent. What it does is give the highway authority the power to specify the works, to execute them itself and to recover the expenses reasonably incurred from the owner or occupier, which is how you end up paying to have your own unauthorised crossing taken out and rebuilt.¹ The offence section 184 does create is knowingly using a footway or verge as a crossing in contravention of the conditions imposed, or knowingly letting it be used that way, punishable by a fine up to level 3 on the standard scale.¹ Specific kinds of damage to the highway, such as removing soil or turf from it, are separate offences under section 131 of the Act.¹²

Step 5: Reinstatement bond (sometimes required) Some authorities require a bond or deposit to ensure the work is completed properly. This is returned once the work has been inspected and approved.

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland

The process is broadly similar across the UK, but administered by local councils (Scotland), local authorities (Wales), or the Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland).¹³ In Scotland, section 56 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 requires the roads authority’s written consent for any works in a public road.¹⁴ In Wales, the Highways Act 1980 still applies.¹

What Makes a Good Dropped Kerb?

The specification for a vehicular crossover varies by highway authority, but common requirements include:

• Crossover width: Set by each authority, and usually narrower than people expect. Coventry’s standard crossing is 2.7 metres of lowered kerb, with 3.6 metres the most it allows for one property.¹⁵
• Gradient: The crossover must not create a trip hazard for pedestrians; the highway authority sets the ramp and footway gradients in its specification
• Material: Normally precast concrete kerb units to BS EN 1340, or granite kerbs to match existing in some conservation areas
• Drainage: The new surface must not drain onto the public footpath or carriageway; section 163 of the Highways Act 1980 lets the council require you to stop surface water flowing onto the footway¹⁶

Common Reasons for Refusal

• Insufficient sight lines for vehicles exiting safely³
• The crossover would remove the last remaining on-street parking in a congested street
• Protected trees within root protection areas of the footpath
• Active gas, electric, or telecoms ducts that cannot be moved economically
• The frontage is too narrow to provide a usable parking space

If your application is refused, ask the highway authority for the specific reasons in writing. In some cases, minor amendments to the location or width can resolve the issue. There is usually no formal appeal against the highway decision itself: Bradford, for example, treats its decision as final and offers an internal review.³ Where planning permission was also needed and is refused, you can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.¹⁵

Driveway Considerations Beyond the Kerb

The dropped kerb is the highway boundary. Once vehicles cross onto your property, you are responsible for the surface. A functional 2-car parking space typically needs:

• Dimensions: Each highway authority sets its own minimum before it will approve a crossing, and they differ widely. Coventry asks for a hardstanding at least 4.0m deep by 2.4m wide.¹⁵ Bedford asks for a parking area at least 6m long and 3.6m wide.⁴
• Surface: Must be permeable if the area exceeds 5m² (see planning rules above), or surface water must drain to a lawn or border, not to the highway
• Gradient: Flat or sloping away from the property is ideal; steep gradients can cause vehicles to ground on the crossover

Budget £75–£160/m² for block paving, £20–£50/m² for gravel, or £80–£180/m² for resin-bound surfacing.