Council Approved Dropped Kerb Contractors

Halton Dropped Kerb Solutions -Find Vehicle Crossovers Specialists In West Yorkshire

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Do you need a Dropped Kerb in Halton? For many people, parking outside their own home can be both a reason for stress and come at a financial cost if you need to pay for a resident’s permit.

In particular urban regions, it can continue to be tricky to find a spot to leave your car near to home.

A kerb drop is a legal requirement if you want to drive across the pavement onto your residential or commercial property.

Any access onto a public highway from a residential or commercial driveway area must have a vehicle crossover.

Kerb dropping permits vehicles to cross the pavement from the road to a driveway and it is a legal requirement if you wish to drive across the pavement onto your property.

new dropped kerb in Halton

We cover all these local areas and lots more- Halton & Killingbeck, Parklands, Cross Gates, Gipton, Brooklands, Burmantofts, Beechwood, Oakwood, New Town, Lady Wood

Putting in a vehicle access crossover can make a huge improvement to accessing your property as well as helping to ensure people do not park across your driveway.

The law pertaining to the access states: If you intend to drive a vehicle over the footway into your driveway off a highway, then you will need to make these changes to your access.

If you do not, you must not drive over the footway. If you do so, you are breaking the law and enforcement action might be taken to stop such practice.

The pavement may need to be strengthened in front of the building, and in some cases, it may be necessary for lampposts, manhole covers and various other street furniture to be moved.

drop kerb example image

Drop Kerb Specialists in Halton

Kerb drops, also referred to as vehicle access crossovers, are an adaptation to the footpath. It involves lowering the kerb and preparing new foundations to the paving to enable a car to be driven onto the front area of a property.

The work includes lowering the kerbstones and bolstering the pavement to create a ramp, and must only be performed by an authorised provider with Street Works Accreditation, and who have the required Public Liability insurance to comply with the local authorities regulations.

Vehicle access cross overs comprise normally of 3 or 4 dropped kerbs with a tapered or transition kerb on either side. The conventional maximum total width at road level for a VAC is 3.6 metres (i.e. normally 4 kerbs).

We have several years experience in installing drop kerbs and applying for the appropriate planning permission. We can work in partnership with your local county council  whilst abiding by all necessary regulations.

You can either apply to your local council for permission for kerb dropping outside your building or we can apply to your local authority in your place.

We are members of the Streetworks Qualifications Register (SWQR). The SWQR holds details of qualified operators who have gained the proper qualifications in relation to the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, which is essential for any contractor excavating a highway.

We concentrate on delivering a service that gets it right the first time. By investing in high quality materials, equipment and processes, we ensure that we deliver sustainable and affordable solutions that will last.

We pride ourselves on our outstanding workmanship and client care and we ensure that each and every job is performed to the highest quality standards.

Our staff can check out your site to perform a free no-obligation survey. This allows our surfacing contractors to completely understand your requirements and provide an accurate and competitive quote.

Contact us today for a free price quote on 07926 387617

Halton Kerb Dropping Contractors

The massive growth in interest for off-street parking has seen a growing number of people drop kerbs to create car standing at the front of their properties.

Study by home insurer Direct Line shows that off-street parking is regarded by estate agents as a beneficial feature which adds market value to a residential or commercial property. This, coupled with escalating parking limitations in lots of residential locations, has resulted in planning applications  increase greatly over recent years.

However while adding car standing space to the front of your home may add market value to your property, there are many things to consider, not least environmental consequences, and flooding is a big concern.

When you switch out a front garden with hard standing, rain can no longer absorb into the ground. As increasingly more households take this step, the cumulative effect severely increases the threat of flooding, so it’s important to incorporate drainage in your plans.

Planning permission is normally called for if you wish to drop the kerb outside your building to permit a car to cross the pavement. This is because the pavement might need to be strengthened to take the weight of vehicles and help prevent them from damaging the surface or any pipes or cables beneath. It is also to ensure the new access will not be a safety hazard to other highway users.

Halton Dropped Kerb Solutions -Find Vehicle Crossovers Specialists In West Yorkshire

Call Today For Your Free Quote -07926 387617

You can find out if you need planning permission by getting in touch with your local council (you can find the relevant council at the government website). How much it costs to apply will depend upon your specific location.

If permission is given, you then you need to find a local professional to perform the work for you.

It’s definitely not a DIY job as the council will have requirements that contractors must meet. Several will only permit you to use their endorsed contractors, while others make it possible for you to use your own, provided that they are certified to the requirements of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, and carry public liability insurance. In this case, there might be an added fee for highway assessments by the council.

new dropped kerb in Halton
Halton close up of kerb drop

West Yorkshire Vehicle Crossover Experts

However first it’s worth verifying if consent is likely to be granted. Below is a checklist of considerations. If any one of these criteria is not met, planning permission is most likely to be denied:

  • Your front garden must be large enough for you to park your vehicle completely on your property.
  • The kerb must be at minimum 4.8 m from the front of your house; or 6m if the parking spot is in front of an entrance or garage.
  • The parking area must be at least 2.4 m wide.
  • The suggested access to your property must be more than 10m away from a road junction; 15m away from busy junctions or on major roads.
  • It has to be at least 1.5 m away from street lights and various other street furniture.
  • It must meet visibility standards; this depends on the type of road.
  • Suitable drainage must be provided to remove the surplus surface water.
    The extraction of tree roots must be avoided.
  • The incline from your property to the road must not be too steep.
  • Finally, you as the homeowner must agree to the kerb being dropped; for instance, a tenant can not apply on their landlord’s behalf.

Q and A’s

Prices vary depending on where you live, how many kerbs are to be dropped and whether or not you wish to extend an already-dropped kerb. Some councils and contractors provide an extended dropped curb for no cost, while others charge up to £1800. The job typically takes about one to two days.

Highways Act 1980 Section 184, makes it a crime to drive a vehicle along a footway. They include both the physical lowering of the kerb (the dropped kerb) and a permission to allow a vehicle to cross the public footway.

A driveway with an average length will require you to lower five of the kerb sections. Assuming the Council owns the footpath and road, you will need to get permission from your local Council. The Council may refuse to grant permission as either a roads authority or a planning authority, or both.

A dropped curb is the area where the vehicle crosses over from the road to the property’s rear. It is often a driveway with dropped kerbs.

An obstruction is defined as a vehicle that is parked fully or partially on a dropped kerb. Local authorities or the police can enforce the violation. Even though it sounds absurd, you may be issued a PCN to park on top of your own dropped curb.

Parking across a dropped street is a parking violation that can result in a Penalty Cost Notice. This means that if you park on top of a dropped brick, you are guilty of an offence.

Adding a spot for a car will undoubtedly bring extra value to your property, but the amount will naturally depend on whereabouts you live. It iss also worth bearing in mind that you will have to go through an application process to a get a dropped kerb outside your property, too.

Between the junction’s entrance and the proposed location for vehicular access, there must be at most 10m. The pavement or road must not be overhang by any vehicle that is parked within your property.

If you want to remove the curb from your property in order to permit a vehicle to cross the pavement, planning permission will usually be required. The pavement might need to be reinforced to withstand the vehicles’ weight and to prevent damage to the pipes or cables beneath.

A dropped kerb will be required if your plan is to drive your vehicle over the footway in your driveway, off a highway. You must have a dropped kerb in order to drive your vehicle over the footway. If you do this, you may be charged with breaking the law.