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Hertfordshire County Council

We can lower the pavement outside your house so you can get a car on your driveway.

It's illegal to drive over the pavement or verge unless we've approved and installed a dropped kerb.

The first step is to apply for a quote. It costs £125 to apply.

Apply for a dropped kerb

Before you start...

You'll need the following to apply for a dropped kerb:

  • measurements of your driveway
  • plan of where you want the dropped kerb
  • £125 to get an assessment of your driveway and pavement
  • an idea of the total costs (see below).

Dropped kerb policy – you need to read these before you apply.

Can you get a dropped kerb?

Not everyone can get a dropped kerb. Your driveway must meet our requirements.

A good way to check is to take measurements of your driveway. You must provide us with a plan showing where you want the dropped kerb.

When we make a decision, a manager will double check any applications that are declined. You shouldn't expect to get approval just because a neighbour has.

You can't apply if:

  • you're on a private road
  • you're a developer of sites of more than 1 property. Take a look at our guidance for developers.

 

Rules that your driveway must meet

Check these before you apply:

The depth of your parking area

  • Your parking area must be at least 5 metres deep and 2.7 metres wide.
  • If you want to park parallel to your property, your parking area must be at least 9.6 metres wide by 3.5 metres deep.

You have written permission

  • Some locations will require planning permission. Check the dropped kerb policy to see if this applies to you. You can also check with your local district or borough council.
  • If you're a tenant, you'll need consent from the landowner.
  • Consent if you live in Letchworth or Welwyn Garden City

If you live in Letchworth, Welwyn Garden City or Broxbourne borough

Your site visit – criteria we assess

We'll assess this criteria during your site visit:

  • Your driveway must be at least 10 metres away from a junction.  We may increase this to 15 metres in some locations
  • If the proposed dropped kerb is within a marked bay or lay by, we’ll refuse your application.
  • Your dropped kerb mustn’t affect the operation of traffic lights and pedestrian crossings.
  • Your drive must have good visibility. Pedestrians and vehicles need to be clearly seen when entering or exiting the property.
  • Your drive must not be steeper than 1 in 10 (10%).
  • The proposed dropped kerb must not be on a busy or high-speed road (above 40mph).  If it is, you’ll need to have space to turn around within your property, without having to reverse out onto the road. 


See the dropped kerb policy for a full list of things that we assess.

 

Cost of a dropped kerb

It costs £125 to apply and get an assessment. This covers the processing of the application, the assessment of your driveway and creating a plan of the work needed.

We normally do assessments within 6–8 weeks.

If your assessment is successful, we'll give you a further quote for the full work.

Let us know the distance between the edge of the property and the edge of the pavement closest to the road.

metres  

 

After your decision

If we approve your application, you'll need to pay for the dropped kerb itself.

Once you've paid and approved the work plan, we'll carry out the work within
12–14 weeks (depending on the weather).

We'll write to you 1 week before the work starts. You don't need to be there, but you'll need to prepare your driveway (make sure concrete edgings are in place or removing any obstructions like trees or hedges).

Pay for the dropped kerb and approve our work plan

 

Appeal a decision

You can appeal if you feel that we haven't applied the criteria correctly. Let us know your reasons.

Email us:

DroppedKerbAppeals@hertfordshire.gov.uk


Or write to:

Highways
PO Box 153
Abel Smith House
Gunnels Wood Road
Stevenage, Hertfordshire
SG1 2ST

 

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