Vehicle access - kerbs

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A vehicle crossing is an area of lowered pavement and kerb that gives access to vehicles from a road across a grass verge or a footway and onto a driveway or parking area. 

A vehicle crossing needs to be built to a higher specification than a normal footway. This is because it has to allow for vehicles to drive over footways without causing damage to service cables and mains buried underneath.

It is against the law to drive over a public footway without using an authorised vehicle crossing, as damage will be caused to the footway or services underneath. 

Can I build a vehicle crossing to my property? 

Property owners don’t have an automatic right to build a vehicle crossing onto the highway and, in some cases, we could refuse an application for one if the crossing is in an unsafe position such as:

•  on a junction
•  on the brow of a hill
•  at a bus stop
•  where it would be difficult to be seen
•  for planning reasons.

Building and/or using a vehicle crossing does not give the property owner any particular rights except to drive across the highway to get access to their property.

Owners of the property would need planning permission for the hard surface of any area that is more than five square metres between the front of their property and the highway.

For more advice, contact our Duty Planning Officer on 01332 255935 between 10.00am and 4.00pm, Monday to Friday, or find out more information by visiting the Communities and Local Government website. 

We will take action where a vehicle crossing has been installed at a property illegally and may instruct that the highway is returned to its former condition.  This type of instruction would be given to the owner of the property - whether or not this is the same person(s) who carried out the work.

How do I apply for a vehicle crossing?  

There are two options for applying to construct a vehicle crossing:

Option 1

Get a quote from a private contractor, with £5 million of Public Liability Insurance – you will need to supply a copy of the insurance with your application.

Make sure the contractor and their workers are suitably qualified and accredited with the Street Works Qualification Register (SWQR) to work on the highway – you will need to provide copies of the supervisors' and operatives' accreditation with your application.

Contact us for an application form. Fill in and sign the private contractor request form (appendix C) and return it to us.

There is also a £78.00 non-refundable fee to us to process the application. Cheques are made payable to Derby City Council.

If we give permission for a vehicle crossing to be constructed, we will inspect and approve all works to make sure they meet to specification.

Serve notice to the Public Utilities, such as gas, water, electricity, telephone and cable communications companies.  Please provide colour copies with application.

The applicant is responsible for:

•  guaranteeing the works for a two year maintenance period
•  any damage to the highway or utility equipment
•  any claims due to an incident caused by the works

At the end of the guarantee period, the maintenance of the crossing goes back to us but, at all times, the crossing remains part of the public highway.

Option 2

This option is currently unavailable until September 2013. We can give you a quote (this is valid for six weeks) to construct the vehicle crossing. 

• We will serve notice to the public utilities. 
• We will guarantee the works for the two year maintenance period.  
• Once we have received payment we will ask our contractors to programme in the work
• From receiving payment to completion of the construction, it will take about 14 weeks.

For all enquiries about applying for permission to construct a vehicle crossing contact Streetpride.

You can find out more about the law on vehicle crossings on the highway by viewing Section 184 of the Highways Act 1980

Useful forms

• Streetpride

Useful links

• The Highways Act 1980
• Communities and Government website (planning and building)