Dropped kerbs and vehicle crossings
This is the step most people underestimate. The highway authority decides whether you can have a crossing, how it is built and who builds it. Some councils build every crossing themselves; others license approved contractors. We work within whichever system your council runs.
A dropped kerb, or vehicle crossing, is a section of pavement and kerb lowered and strengthened so a vehicle can legally cross the footway to reach a driveway. It needs the highway authority's approval before any work starts.
What is included in a dropped kerb?
- Check the frontage: trees, lamp posts, covers, junctions and sight lines
- Help preparing the application and site plan
- Planning permission check for classified roads
- Construction to the council's specification where approved contractors are allowed
- Footway reinstatement in tarmac or to match
- Coordinated with the new drive so both are finished together
How is it built?
How much does a dropped kerb cost?
As a 2026 guide at our UK midpoint rate, £1,000–£3,000 per job inc VAT. Edging, drainage and access are itemised separately where they apply.
| Item | Guide price (inc VAT) |
|---|---|
| Dropped kerb construction where the council allows an approved contractor | £1,000–£3,000 per job |
Rates vary by region:
| Region | Guide (inc VAT) |
|---|---|
| London | £1,200–£3,600 per job |
| South East | £1,100–£3,300 per job |
| East of England | £1,050–£3,150 per job |
| South West | £1,050–£3,100 per job |
| West Midlands | £1,000–£3,000 per job |
| East Midlands | £980–£2,950 per job |
| North West | £970–£2,900 per job |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £960–£2,900 per job |
| North East | £930–£2,800 per job |
| Wales | £950–£2,850 per job |
| Scotland | £980–£2,950 per job |
| Northern Ireland | £880–£2,650 per job |
Guides only. Your survey turns these into a fixed written price. Full price list · Guide price tool
When it suits
- Front garden conversions
- Widening an existing crossing
- Adding a second access
Watch out for
- Never build a crossing without the highway authority's licence
- Classified roads usually need planning permission as well
- Street trees and utility covers can make a crossing impossible or expensive
How long does it take and how long does it last?
- On site
- Approval often takes weeks; building is usually 1–2 days
- Lifespan
- Adopted by the highway once completed to the council's standard
Do I need planning permission?
It depends where you live and where the water goes.
- England: A new hard surface over 5 m² in front of a house needs planning permission unless it is porous or drains to a lawn, border or soakaway within the property.
- Wales: New front hardstanding should be porous or drain to a permeable area within the property, and work covering 100 m² or more with drainage effects usually needs SAB approval first.
- Scotland: A hard surface between the house and a road is permitted development only if it is porous or drains to a porous area within the property, whatever its size.
- Northern Ireland: More than 5 m² of hard surface in front of a house should be porous or drain to a porous area within the property; DfI Roads approves dropped kerbs.
Dropped kerbs always need the highway authority's approval: the council in England, Wales and Scotland, and DfI Roads in Northern Ireland. Read the full planning guide.
What happens next?
Tell us about the job
Use the guide price tool, the form, WhatsApp or the phone. A postcode, rough size and a couple of photos are enough to start.
Survey and measure
We check the ground, levels, edges, drainage and access, and the planning and kerb position where it applies.
Written specification and price
You get an itemised quote listing every layer, the edging, drainage, waste and VAT. The price is fixed once the spec is agreed.
Build day
Dig-out and base first, then hot binder and surface course rolled in, edges finished and the site cleared. You get aftercare notes before we leave.
Dropped kerbs and vehicle crossings: questions
How much does a dropped kerb cost?
It depends on the council. Application fees seen in 2026 run from about £100 to £400, and building typically costs about £1,000–£3,000, sometimes more where utilities need protecting. Some councils quote a fixed price and build it themselves.
Who approves a dropped kerb?
The highway authority: the county or unitary council in England, the council in Wales and Scotland, and DfI Roads in Northern Ireland.
Do I need planning permission for a dropped kerb?
You do if the road is classified (an A, B or C road) and in some other cases. Unclassified residential roads usually need only the highway licence, but check your council's guidance.
Can you build my dropped kerb?
Where your council allows approved or accredited contractors to build crossings, yes, to their specification. Where the council builds them itself, we coordinate the drive around its dates.
Where do we offer dropped kerb work?
Across the UK. Choose your area for local prices and towns.
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Devon
- Dorset
- County Durham
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Merseyside
- Norfolk
- North Yorkshire
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Tyne and Wear
- Warwickshire
- West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire
- Clwyd
- Dyfed
- Gwent
- Gwynedd
- Mid Glamorgan
- Powys
- South Glamorgan
- West Glamorgan
- Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
- Angus and Dundee
- Argyll and Bute
- Ayrshire
- Dumfries and Galloway
- Dunbartonshire
- Edinburgh and the Lothians
- Fife
- Forth Valley
- Glasgow
- Highland and Moray
- Lanarkshire
- Perth and Kinross
- Renfrewshire and Inverclyde
- Scottish Borders
- County Antrim
- County Armagh
- County Down
- County Fermanagh
- County Londonderry
- County Tyrone
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Send a postcode and a rough size and we'll arrange a survey. Every quote lists the layers, edging, drainage and VAT.
- Surface courseDEPTH + MIX
- Binder courseDEPTH + MIX
- Sub-baseDEPTH + MATERIAL
- Edges, drainage, VATITEMISED