Dropped kerbs and crossovers
Why do I need a vehicle crossing?
The Highways Act 1980 states that it is an offence to take a vehicle across a footway or verge without a properly constructed vehicle crossing.
This is for several reasons:
- footways are not designed to take the weight of vehicles
- vehicles cause damage the highway verge and footway surface
- there may be damage to any pipes or cables buried beneath the footway.
All of which can leave the footway or verge in dangerous condition as well as putting highway users at risk of injury.
In order to ensure that vehicle crossings are properly constructed, all domestic vehicle crossings must be built to a specification provided by the Council's Highways Service (part of the Department of Place). As such, prior to any work being carried out, Highway Services must first approve the location, specification and the contractor, this is in the form of a vehicle crossing licence – under no circumstances should work be carried out without this.
How much do vehicle crossings cost?
Each crossing is different so costs may vary depending on the width of the footway or grass verge. Other circumstances such as drainage, position of manhole covers and access chambers, moving statutory equipment and contractor availability are also a consideration and these should be discussed with your chosen contractor.
As a very rough estimate, given the factors above a standard vehicle crossing on a 2m wide footway with no additional works could cost from £1,250.
There is also an additional fee for the vehicle crossing licence.
Who can construct my vehicle crossing?
At the moment Bradford Council does not provide quotations or carry out the construction of residential vehicular crossings over footways or verges.
When you apply we will provide you with a list of contractors retained by the Authority that can undertake such works. You may choose to use one of these contractors or appoint your own. If you appoint a contractor that is not on our approved list, we will need to obtain certain information from them to make sure they are properly insured and accredited to work on the Highway before construction commences.
The information required from a contractor prior to any works starting is:
- £5m in Public Liability Insurance
- an in date New Roads and Street Works Act accreditation card
A copy of which must be sent to the Authority.
How do I apply for a vehicle crossing?
You can apply for a vehicle crossing licence by using the link above.
You will need to provide:
- Details of the exact location of the proposed crossover - for example this can be done by using what3words and adding the three words to the crossover details tab.
- A detailed plan or drawing of the area, specifying measurements of the garden, footway or verge.
You can also add a photo of the location (which will help officers when they come to assess the application).
One of our highways officers will then contact you within 20 working days either via phone or email to discuss or approve your application.
Application charges for domestic vehicle crossings
For a domestic vehicle crossing Bradford Council charge a fee of £120 for processing the vehicle crossing application.
Once payment has been received, we will aim to process your application within 20 working days.
A vehicle crossover licence is valid for a three month period. At the end of that three month period if you have not appointed a contractor to carry out the work you may request an extension at no extra cost for a further three months.
If you have not appointed a contractor and your licence is close to the expiry date or end of the initial three month period, an extension can be requested by emailing rc@bradford.gov.uk. We recommend applying at least 14 days prior to the initial licence's expiry date.
It is your responsibility to request an extension and only one extension can be obtained. Please note, the licence extension must run consecutively to the initial licence; there cannot be any gaps in dates.
The application fee is non-refundable, so it is recommended that you read all the information and consider all options prior to applying.
Should the work not be carried out prior to the licence expiring, a new application must be made and the full £120 fee will apply.
The above costs cover time spent on reviewing and processing the application.
Once you have applied for your vehicle crossing licence you will receive a reference number and a link for payment.
Please note:
You need to make the payment before any works can be carried out on your application. If you don’t make the payment within 20 days, of your application day, your application will be withdrawn and you will need to start a new application process.
Approval or refusal of an application will be at the Highway officer’s discretion. The Highway officer’s decision is final.
Application charges for commercial vehicle crossings
Bradford Council charge a fee of £3000 for processing Commercial Vehicle Crossing Applications.
Legal considerations
Planning permission is required for vehicle crossings if:
- The property involved has the frontage directly on to a classified road (That is, an ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’ Road)
- The property involved is a listed building.
- The property involved is other than a house for a single family, for example a flat, maisonette, commercial or industrial premises.
- There is to be over five square metres of tarmac or other impermeable material as part the driveway construction within your property boundary.
You will still need to apply for highway consent via this vehicle crossing application process and pay the application fee once you have received planning permission. Planning permission alone is not consent to construct a vehicle crossing.
Considerations
- The crossover needs to have good sight lines in all directions.
- Where access is required near a junction (either to the side, rear or front), it should always access the minor road of the three and be located as far from the junction corner as possible.
- No crossover will be permitted on or within 5 meters of a junction or bend.
- Any requests to extend or widen an existing vehicle crossing must not have a negative impact on street parking.
- Crossovers must not overhang neighbour’s properties.
- A crossing which covers the full frontage of the property may not be permitted.
Important information
The construction of a vehicle crossing does not give the occupier of the premises any particular rights, except to drive across the footway to gain access to their property with a private or light goods motor vehicle (up to 3.5t). The crossing itself will form part of the public highway. From the date that the Council accepts the completed crossing, they will assume responsibility for its maintenance at no cost to the occupier, apart from any damage caused by unauthorised or heavy vehicle use (over 3.5t).
If you decide to go ahead with the construction, prior to commencing, you must remove the fence, wall or hedge within the property at the place where the crossing will be located.
Construction and usage conditions of a dropped kerb or crossover
The following is a list of conditions that are relevant to the construction and the use of a domestic vehicle crossing after it has been completed.
Permitted types of vehicles
A domestic vehicle crossing may only be used by a private light goods or similar vehicle. It may not be used by heavy goods vehicles or mechanical equipment. If a delivery (such as a skip) is made to the property and damages the crossing, any reasonable repairs will not be the responsibility of the Authority.
Size of the crossing
The width of a standard crossing is:
4575mm at the kerb and 2745mm at the back of the footway.
Vehicle crossover extensions are assessed on their own merit but the maximum size including original crossover is:
6405mm at the kerb and 4575mm at the back of the footway.
Additional separate crossovers around a property are not permitted.
Shared access
Where the occupiers of two adjoining properties share a driveway and wish to build a double width crossing to serve the two sites; one occupier should act on behalf of both parties. An application fee of £240 will apply (2 x £120 application fees),
Parking within your property
Your application will not be approved, unless you are able to provide a suitable parking area within your property, which must be at least 4800mm long, measured from the closest point of the property to the back of the footway and be a minimum of 2440mm wide. There must be enough space around this area for pedestrian access.
No part of a vehicle parked within your property may project on to or over the highway. The crossing may not be used as a parking area and no part of it is exempted for the purpose of footway parking.
Any gates must open into your property and not across the footway.
Hard standings
Where you are intending to use gravel or a similar loose material for your hard standing, you should consider the problem of some being carried on to the highway by the movement of the vehicle. This is especially true, where the surface comes up to the boundary.
Where material of this type is used, concrete or blacktop must be laid in a 500mm strip (within the property) from the boundary to the start of the gravelled area to help to reduce any problem. If the material is carried onto the highway it will be the responsibility of the occupier to remove it.
Drainage
The parking area within your property must be built so that water is not discharged out across the footway. Suitable drainage must be provided within the boundaries of your property and will need to be shown on the drawings or plans that are submitted.
Standard finish
The standard finish for vehicle crossings is tarmac. This is because the material is easy to lay and maintain. Should you currently have stone flags or kerbs, these must be reused so it remains in keeping with the local area.
Concrete flags and block paving will not be permitted.
The only variance to this standard finish will be in heritage areas and streets deemed to be of special interest by the Authority.
Obstacles to construction
If the proposed position of the access is obstructed, for example by a road sign, lamp post or tree, the location should be altered to avoid the obstacle. If this is not feasible, a decision will have to be made by the relevant highway team as to whether the item should be removed or relocated. This will incur additional costs to the vehicle crossing applicant and these costs must be paid in advance of the vehicle crossing installation.
If the proposed vehicle crossing interferes with street furniture belonging to Statutory Undertakers (such as a fire hydrant or telegraph pole) the statutory authority is required to carry out any relocation work Any charges for such work will be the responsibility of the vehicle crossing applicant, who will be required to produce written proof of approval by the statutory authority to the Department of Place Highways Service before a vehicle crossing can be installed.
In view of the above the Highways officer may recommend or approve a more suitable location for the vehicle crossing. If the applicant does not wish to accept this recommendation and additional work such as the relocation of street furniture or a lamp post is required which would otherwise not be necessary, the applicant will be responsible and required to pay all the additional costs of relocation.
Street furniture
Where applicants have removed more of the wall or fence running along the boundary than is required by the size of the crossing, it should be understood that an item of street furniture, for example a lamp post, telegraph pole or traffic sign, may be erected at any time in the footway outside the area of a crossing, even though this may obstruct an area where there is no wall or similar feature.
Trees
It is our general policy not to remove highway trees unless in exceptional circumstances such as diseased or they pose a danger to the public. On rare occasions, we may agree to a tree removal to allow for a vehicle crossing providing a suitable alternative is planted as part of your works.
Certain trees may be subject to environmental constraints such as a Tree Preservation Order which may prevent you from carrying out works on them.
If you need further advice on trees that may affect your vehicle crossing, or require a site visit by the Council's arboricultural officer (tree specialist) please contact the Council on 01274 431000 requesting an officer to contact and advise you.
Alterations to your vehicle crossover
In its capacity as Highway Authority, the Council may need to alter the layout of your vehicle crossover at any time, due to modifications in the footway or verge. Every effort will be made to maintain access to your property and the occupier of premises so affected will be given adequate notice of such works.
If you wish to alter an existing crossing you must re-apply for permission to do so.
Safety
Any application for the construction of a domestic crossing may be refused or modified on the grounds of safety. The applicant must ensure that adequate sight lines are maintained to allow safe access to their property.
Statutory Undertaker's equipment
In most cases it is likely that Statutory Undertaker's equipment (such as gas, electric, cable, telephone, water) will be present within the footway or verge.
You and your contractor will be entirely responsible for locating and identifying all such equipment and ensure that it is protected from damage during the work. It is important that you make you contractor aware of this.
Damage to any Statutory Undertaker’s equipment, but particularly gas or electricity mains, can be very dangerous and costly to repair. In the event of any damage to statutory undertakers equipment you or your contractor would be held liable for the repairs and would be responsible for any costs incurred.
Gates across vehicle entrance
Gates fitted across the vehicle entrance to your property may not open outwards across the footpath or carriageway. (Highways Act 1980 - Section 153).
Pedestrian crossing points
It is illegal to drive a car on the footway and pedestrian crossing points should not be used as access points to drive vehicles on to the footway.
Unauthorised vehicle crossings
Unauthorised crossings are dangerous and can be unsightly. If you are crossing the footway or verge without a properly constructed vehicle crossing you may ultimately be prosecuted, fined and charged for any damage you have caused, or any works necessary to make the site safe and restore it to its original condition.
We understand that people may not be aware of their legal requirements with regard to vehicle crossing points and we will offer the option to apply for a properly constructed crossing point before any action is taken.
This also cover crossovers which have been installed without the permission of the Authority.
Commercial vehicle crossings
The following types of crossing are classed as commercial in nature and require stronger construction to a different specification and a S.184 agreement with the Authority.
- Temporary access into development sites.
- Access to more than one individual property on private access roads.
- Access to farms.
- Crossing points to private car parking areas.
- Access to commercial premises.
A fee of £3000 is payable upon receipt of the application, the application can be made via the above link.
Please provide supporting documents, such as a full site plan, site entrance plan, NRASWA accreditations, and public liability insurance.