Dropped kerbs

Your application must include a rough sketch of the location of the proposed crossing, showing the measurements of the crossing and parking area. The plan should also show any lamp columns, posts, manholes and drains.

In most cases, vehicles are parked with their front or rear facing the property. From December 2021, we also consider applications for vehicles to be parked 'parallel' to the property – that is, parked sideways – if there's enough space.

Parking area

For vehicles parking with front or rear towards the property, the 'hardstand' parking area within your property boundary must be at least:

• 4.8 metres long
• 2.4 metres wide

For parallel parking within the property boundary to be approved, the property’s frontage must have:

• a depth from the back of the footway of at least 2.6 metres
• a width of at least 6.5 metres

These are minimum lengths and widths for all applications. They do not depend on the size of your vehicle

In the vast majority of cases, parallel parking areas would be for strictly one vehicle only. Parallel parking applications will not be considered as a means of parking more than one vehicle at a right angle to the highway.

The crossing

Crossings must be within the frontage of your property and be at 90 degrees to the road.

The entrance to your property should be at least 2.4 metres wide and the kerb at the front of the crossing should be at least 4.5 metres wide – usually 5 whole kerbstones. The only exception to these measurements would be an extension to an existing vehicle crossing. For parallel parking, the frontage must be at least 6.5 metres wide.

Crossings are not allowed on corners or junctions as they may be a danger to road users.

A 5 centimetre edge kerb will be installed where the crossing enters your property. This is to protect your hardstand from damage if maintenance is needed in future.

The crossing to your property boundary will be made up to the level of the existing footway. Any accommodation works needed within your property to reach this level will be your responsibility.

A new crossing may merge with an adjacent crossing, to remove the need for short transitional kerbs between crossings.

We will not give permission for a crossing closer than 45 centimetres to any vertical structure in the highway.

You must pay any costs for moving or protecting any street furniture or legally licensed apparatus.

Trees will not be removed to make space for a crossing. A meeting must be arranged if it is considered the roots of the tree may be damaged when excavations are carried out.

Maximum width

Dropped kerb crossings can have a maximum width of 4.3m. We won't approve new or extended crossings for the entire front of a property if it is more than 4.3m wide.

If you already have a crossing, it can only be extended or centralised up to 4.3m. This means unless your current crossing is very narrow, we are not likely to approve an extension. If you share a crossing with a neighbouring property, you can apply to extend your half of the current width up to 4.3m.

If you apply for a crossing that is more than the maximum width, your application will be refused and the application fee will not be refunded in full.

Pedestrian visibility

Pedestrian 'visibility splays' is the name for areas next to your drive across which you must have a clear view to pedestrians on the footway. You must have visibility splays from 1.5 metres down your drive to 1.5 metres along the footway on either side of your drive.

There must be no obstruction – such as walls, fences, vegetation – higher than 60 centimetres within these areas.