Dropped Kerb & Vehicle Crossover Permission: The Process and Cost

Updated 14/09/2026 · 4 min read

A new driveway usually means a new dropped kerb too — and this is where a lot of homeowners get caught out, because it's a completely separate process from planning permission for the driveway surface itself, with its own application, its own fee, and its own council department.

What a dropped kerb actually is

A vehicle crossover (the formal term) is where the kerb height is lowered and the pavement underneath is strengthened to safely take the weight of a vehicle driving over it. Under the Highways Act 1980, you need authorised permission before driving across a public pavement to access your driveway — doing it without permission, even onto your own driveway, is technically unlawful and councils can require it to be reinstated.

Why it's separate from planning permission

Planning permission (where it applies, under the 5m² rule) covers the driveway surface in your own garden. A dropped kerb application covers the public highway — the pavement and kerb, which the council or highway authority is responsible for, not you. You can need one, both, or neither depending on your specific situation, and getting one doesn't automatically cover the other.

The application process

• Apply to your local council's highways department, not the planning department
• The council typically sends someone to assess the site — checking for things like street lighting columns, drains, trees or other obstructions in the way
• Fees vary significantly by council, but budgeting somewhere in the £150-£300 range for the application and assessment stage is a reasonable starting point — check your specific council's current fee schedule, since it changes
• The construction work itself (lowering the kerb, reinforcing the pavement) is charged separately, either by council-approved contractors or, in some areas, by an approved contractor of your choice

When it's more likely to be refused

• On a classified road or a conservation area, where planning permission may additionally be required for the crossover itself
• Where there's insufficient visibility for exiting the driveway safely
• Where a street feature (lamp post, tree, drain) sits exactly where the crossing would need to go

What happens if you skip it

Driving over a pavement without an authorised crossover is enforceable, and councils can require the kerb to be reinstated at your expense. It's also worth checking before you commit to a driveway design, since discovering after the paving is laid that the crossover can't be authorised as planned is a genuinely costly mistake to unwind.