Dropped kerbs - not over a public path

[HVB]

...or any other kind of path, for that matter.

My front garden abuts a very quiet, unclassified road. I already have a driveway with a dropped kerb to the road - it's been there since the house was built about 20 years ago.

I would like to extend my driveway so that it forms a U-shape - a drive-on/drive-off arrangement.

I know the issue of dropped kerbs has been covered several times in this NG but always, it seems, with regard to crossing a footpath. In my case, there is no footpath, but there is a kerb.

As far as I am aware, the council own the kerb, as it is part of the road.

The online planning documentation suggests that I don't need Planning Permission to get a 2nd dropped kerb, but presumably I still need to get the ok from the council, or possibly I may need to pay them to do the work.

Am I correct in this assumption?

HVB

[Owain]

A "carriage drive" I think estate agent's parlance would have it?

AIUI yes. The presence of a pavement (footpath) is irrelevant. Consent from the local Highways Authority is required for any access onto a road.

Owain

[Baz]

Here in Wiltshire I had to get permission from the council (free) and use an approved Contractor (£750). Baz

[john2]

probably. Kerbs and footpaths normally belong to the county council in rural areas. Not sure about towns. To find out how to install a dropped kerb, its probably best to start at your parish/town clerk as he/she will tell you who to contact, or write to, higher up the chain. The cost is around £1000-£1500 for a single lane driveway dropped kerb in this part of the world.

john2

[Christian McArdle]

It may be cheaper here, as most of the cost appears to be digging up the pavement and reinforcing its foundations to take vehicular traffic. Without a pavement, it is not much more than laying differently shaped kerbstones, although obviously the new driveway will need to be built properly.

Christian.

[Andy Cap]

The guy opposite me has just put in two himself, across a pavement and grass verge, and when the Council inspector came up, apparently told him he was employing a local contractor ! He dug them out properly and used guard rails and pedestrian notices, God knows where he got them from, but as far as I know, there's been no repercussions. One thing he had to be very careful about, was the NTL cable duct, which is not laid very deeply below the paving. Just 20cms or so.

Andy

[HVB]

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll do that.

Holy *****! Just for the dropped kerb? It's only a few pre-cast concrete blocks and a smidge of sundry items (at a guess).

HVB

[HVB]

^^^^^^^^ How do you define "properly". Naturally, I have no intention of having a poor quality driveway laid. There aren't any regulations pertaining to the building of driveways, AFAIK - but I've been wrong before!

HVB

[Christian McArdle]

Christian.

[manatbandq]

In Bucks you have to pay the highways dept for a survey and use an approved contractor. The approved contractor advised us to just do it and forget about the council as we are in a quiet cul-de-sac. No repercussions so far...

MBQ

[adder1969]

I think you need highways dept if you're need vehicular access over a pavement and I think maybe you need permission from them too if your making a vehicular access off a main road ...or that could be the council I'm not sure.

For the grand or so do you think they'll send out three or four big trucks but only get one guy to do the work while the others stand around drinking tea like they all seem to do around here?

[HVB]

Wow! Thanks.

HVB

[Steve Kimberley]

That's what I said when I found out that here in Cambridge, the price is likely to be "...between £650-£800!"

Steve

[Brian Sharrock]

IANAL! Nor am I an 'Estate agent' ... :) AIUI; it's an absolute offence to drive a car on a pavement. However if you do it 'properly' the council will grant an 'Easement' for you to effectively drive on the pavement across from the public road to your property's boundary. In order for this to occur you'll need to have the appropriate dropped curb and sufficient reinforcement of the pavement to cater for the point loading of the fully laden car acting through it's wheels - this will be substantially more than the loading offered by foot-traffic.

Once granted ... and implemented ... your house will (to use jargon of the estate agents) _benefit_ from ORP and also be compliant with the latest requirements for drive-in forward and drive-out forward. This _benefit_ will probably add more to your house price than the cost of fifteen hundred quid quoted above.

BTW; (although I note _you've_ already got one dropped curb set: it's not legal to par your car 'over' a pavement without dropped curbs - although many do - and there's nothing to stop other motorists parking there. A council authorised dropped curb access automatically gives you a 'no-parking' space outside your property. This reduction in available paring places _may_ be a reason for some councils declining to grant an easement.

[Phil L]

I cannot believe the prices quoted in this thread for what councils charge to drop a kerb...I lay drives for a living (amongst other building work) and I meet dozens of people who are having or have recently had this done, I've never known it to be above £300 and that's with the council themselves doing the work

[T i m]

That was what mine cost .. but that was 15 years ago. I thought it was a bit expensive for just 'lowering' the existing kerb stones and putting a bit of a slope on the tarmac .. ;-(

Strangly, the previous owner had been regularly driving over the non dropped pavement for 20 years before I bought the place ...

All the best ..

T i m

[adder1969]

Yes but he has no pavement to cross.

This is only for a main road I think.

I'm sure technically it doesn't but effectively it does.

[Brian Sharrock]

Then _why_ was he chuntering abut _dropped curbs_? Curbs are usually found at the interface between pavement and road.

what a long (winded) way of saying 'YES'!

[adder1969]

..or 'no'. Dropped curbs don't define a no parking zone so someone could, if they so wanted, park alongside your dropped curb but that would be anti-social so I doubt many people would do it.

[<me9]

It wold be causing an obstruction, and the PTB would usually be prepared to take action.