What is a dropped kerb?

A dropped kerb, also called a vehicle crossover or vehicle crossing, is a section of pavement where the kerb is lowered and the footway is strengthened so a car can drive from the road onto private land. Without one, the kerb and the thin paving behind it are not built to carry vehicles.

Driving over the pavement or verge to reach your drive without an approved crossing is not allowed. It can also crack paving slabs and damage pipes and cables under the footway.

Who gives permission for a dropped kerb?

The pavement belongs to the public highway, so the highway authority decides whether a crossing can be built.

In the Hertfordshire towns, including Bishop's Stortford, Sawbridgeworth, Buntingford and the Hadhams, that is Hertfordshire County Council.
In Harlow, which is in Essex, it is Essex County Council, with applications handled through Essex Highways.

You cannot simply ask a builder to lower the kerb. The authority assesses the application against its own policy and either approves or refuses it.

What does the council look at?

Each authority sets its own criteria, but they commonly include:

the size of your parking space, so a parked car does not hang over the pavement (Hertfordshire asks for at least 5 metres deep by 2.7 metres wide, and Essex for 5 metres by 2.5 metres)
how close the drive is to a junction, traffic lights or a pedestrian crossing
whether you can see people on the pavement and traffic on the road as you pull out
how steep the drive is
street trees, lamp posts, bus stops, marked parking bays and other street furniture
the speed and type of road

Hertfordshire's dropped kerb policy is worth reading in full before applying. A neighbour's approval does not mean yours will be approved. You also cannot apply to Hertfordshire for a crossing onto a private road.

What if there is already a lowered kerb outside?

A lowered kerb left by a previous owner, or one shared with next door, has not necessarily been approved. Hertfordshire County Council offers a check of its records to confirm whether an existing dropped kerb is lawful. If it was never approved, an application may still be needed before you build a drive behind it.

Can I challenge a refusal?

Hertfordshire allows an appeal if you think its criteria were not applied correctly. Changing the layout of the front garden, for example to make the parking area deeper, can sometimes overcome the reason for refusal.

Do I need planning permission as well?

Sometimes. If your home is on a classified road, which includes A and B roads and some smaller ones, a new vehicle access usually needs planning permission from the district council as well as the highway authority's consent. Essex asks for that planning permission before you apply for the crossing. Flats and maisonettes do not have the same permitted development rights as houses, and the hard standing behind the kerb has to meet the front garden drainage rules. East Herts District Council handles planning for the Hertfordshire towns on this site, and Harlow Council handles it for Harlow. If you rent, the landowner's consent is needed too.

Who builds the crossing and who builds the drive?

In Hertfordshire, the county council carries out the kerb and footway work itself once an application is approved and paid for, and it asks for the driveway to be prepared, with edging in place and obstructions removed. In Harlow, Essex Highways lets you choose your own contractor to build an approved crossing, as long as they are suitably qualified. Its vehicle crossing page asks for street works (NRSWA) accredited operatives and supervisor and public liability insurance, and Essex checks those details before anyone works on the highway, so ask any installer for them before agreeing a price.

The driveway behind your boundary is private work. That is what a local driveway installer would quote for: digging out, the base, the surface and the drainage, finished to meet the crossing at the right level.

Does the work affect buried services?

It can. Water meters, stopcocks, telecoms boxes and cables often sit under the pavement, and moving them can add time and cost. The authority's assessment may point these out.

What should I include about my kerb and drive?

your postcode and whether the house faces a main road or a side street
whether you have applied for, or been granted, a dropped kerb
the rough size of the front garden
the surface you would like for the drive
anything in the way, such as a wall, hedge or tree

What happens after I send it?

Enquiring is free and you stay in control of what happens next. The installer arranges any driveway work and its cost with you.

Who you will hear from

We pass your enquiry to one local driveway installer, if one covers your postcode. It is never sent to a list of companies. If nobody covers your postcode, we will tell you and will not pass your details on.