Vehicle crossings and dropped kerbs

The objective of a footway crossing is to provide the resident of the property with authorised vehicle access across the public footway.

Frontage space and vehicle hardstanding

There needs to be sufficient space within the frontage of your property to ensure that a parked vehicle does not overhang the footway and that manoeuvring on and off the highway can be carried out safely.

• Vehicle hardstanding dimensions: A vehicle hardstanding should therefore normally be at least 4.8 metres deep by 2.4 metres wide, to be set out at 90 degrees to the road.

• Standard bay length: 4.8 metres is a standard bay length that caters for the vast majority of cars currently on the market. However, there are many commonly owned cars that are less than 4.8 metres long.

• Crossover for smaller frontages: A crossover will be offered where the frontage is less than 4.8 metres deep, but only if the following criteria are met:
  • The frontage is an absolute minimum of 3.8 metres deep, and
  • The applicant is willing to enter into a legal agreement that restricts the size of vehicle that can be parked on the forecourt to fit within the available space. This agreement will then be sent to local land charges requesting that a note be made so that it binds future occupiers of the property to the same restriction.

• Legal agreement fees and timescales: Applicants requiring legal agreements will be charged a fee of £500 by way of legal costs, unless the transaction becomes overly protracted then the fee could increase. Timescales can vary and are reliant on applicants sending up-to-date and accurate records for our legal team to process. Upon receipt of required documentation, expect a processing time of 4 to 6 weeks before Brent Legal services can produce an applicant’s draft agreement for review and approval.

• Layout requirements: The dimension of the frontage available must be shown on the proposed layout within the application form.

• Bay orientation: Requests for bays to be parallel to the highway will not be accepted. This is because it would require an unacceptable number of vehicle movements over a footway that is used by pedestrians. Vehicles are expected to be able to enter and leave a frontage in one manoeuvre.

Council Policy

The Council’s Crossover Policy explains whether you need to apply for planning consent. Check if you require planning permission for your dropped kerb application.

Application requirement

Where planning permission is required, you will need to apply for this before submitting a dropped kerb application. We can only accept a dropped kerb application once planning permission has been granted. The dropped kerb application is then subject to the normal application process, where the application will be assessed on its own merits.

Construction approval

Approval for the construction of the crossover must be granted by Brent Highways Management even if planning approval has been given by Brent Planning, or by appeal through the Planning Inspectorate.

Construction costs

An approved crossover can only be constructed by the Council at your expense. The applicant will also be responsible for all costs incurred in removing, relocating or strengthening any street furniture, utility apparatus or road markings to construct your crossover (e.g. lamp post, utility cover box, parking bay).

Estimate

An approved application will receive an estimate which includes the breakdown of costs. Please note that there is a non-refundable £126 administration fee for providing each estimate, payable on application.

Additional charges

The reconfiguration of a parking bay will require amendment of the relevant Traffic Regulatory Order (TRO) for which there will be an additional charge.

Conservation area check

If your property is located within a conservation area, application consent may be required. You can check if you are in a conservation area. Alternatively, you can contact Brent Council Planning by emailing planningstrategy@brent.gov.uk
for advice.

Consent requirements for conservation areas

If your property is situated within a conservation area, consent will be required from the Council for the demolition of any gate, wall, fence or railings over one metre in height if they are adjacent to a highway or public footpath.

Listed buildings

If your property is a listed building, consent will also be required from the Council for the conversion of your garden to hardstanding.

Planning advice

The Council’s Planning Service can advise you on all matters relating to listed buildings and conservation areas, please phone 020 8937 5210 during office hours.

Tenants need to provide written approval from their landlord, freeholder, Brent Housing Partnership, or the relevant housing association confirming that they have no objection to a crossover being constructed to the property. This approval needs to be included in the application.

Maximum gradient (slope)

The gradient (slope) of either the forecourt inside your property or the proposed crossover itself must not be steeper than 1 in 10 (10%). Gradients steeper than this will not be approved on safety grounds as vehicles may lose control in icy or snowy weather or make it too difficult for pedestrians to walk along the pavement. If the slopes are too steep it may also cause your vehicle to “ground out”, causing damage to your vehicle or the crossing itself.

Road humps

Road humps positioned in front of proposed dropped kerbs will not necessarily result in refusal. However, access and egress to a frontage can be more difficult and each applicant should make their own assessment if their vehicle is capable of traversing such features while using a dropped kerb.

“Soft landscaping” refers to trees, plants and grassed areas. Note that artificial alternatives or gravel/shingle are not acceptable, as the aim of this requirement is not only to allow for natural drainage but also to encourage bio-diversity.

Placement

Soft landscaping shall not be placed on top of hardstanding, or any other barrier to the underlying earth. Raised plant beds are allowable, so long as the soil within is in direct contact with the subsoil with no barrier in between; in this case the internal dimensions of the planter shall be used in the calculation for the 30/50% soft landscaping.

Evidence

Photographic evidence must be provided to show compliance.

Second Crossovers

To limit any adverse impact on pedestrians using the adjoining footway and to minimise the loss of kerb side parking, usually, only one crossover will be permitted per property.

Exceptions

A second crossover may be permitted where:

• the property frontage abutting the highway is at least 12 metres wide, and
• the property fronts a classified road where a second crossover would enable the formation of a carriage drive and the garden is deep enough to accommodate this so that vehicles do not have to reverse either onto or off the highway, or
• the property is in a street where the majority of properties have off-street parking and demand for kerb side parking is low.

Use of Crossover

The objective of a footway crossing is to provide the resident of the property with authorised vehicle access across the public footway.

• Property frontage: Applicants need to ensure the property frontage retains 50% soft landscaping, 30% for narrower and shorter front gardens (soft landscaping refers to trees, plants and grassed areas) to comply with the Planning Policy and Climate Emergency Strategy.

• Sustainable drainage: Sustainable drainage is necessary for your hardstanding (where your car will stand), and you will need to use permeable materials. The details of your proposed hardstanding construction and the area of soft landscaping must be shown on your proposed layout on the application form. If this is not stated on your application, it will be returned to you for completion. This may result in a delay to the application process.

• Surface water prevention: Measures must also be introduced to prevent surface water draining from the front of the property onto the highway by introducing a drainage channel at the threshold. All surface water runoff is to be channelled into a soak away.

• Soakaways: Soakaways should be at least 1m³ (1m × 1m × 1m in depth) and attached to the outlet normally located in the base of a drainage channel.

Photographic evidence

When completing your frontage, photographic evidence must be provided of below-ground features that may not be visible in our final inspection. This will include:

• Soakaway drain (Including excavated area, installation and completion)
• Connections between drainage channel outlet and soakaway drain
• Excavation and build-up of soft landscaping area (To clearly demonstrate the area is free of hard materials and facilitates natural drainage)
• Installation of raised beds (showing soil levels direct connection with subsoil below)

At least 1 photo should be taken of each of the above features that clearly identifies the location.

Where applications have not met the eligibility criteria, applicants will be informed in writing of the reason/s for refusal.

Unsuccessful applicants who believe their applications have not been processed in accordance with the criteria set out in the Council’s Crossover Policy, or that there are exceptional circumstances, have the right of appeal. All appeals will be considered by the Head of Highways Management; highways.management@brent.gov.uk

A redundant dropped kerb is a vehicle crossing that is no longer in use, often blocked by a wall, fence or hedge.