Drop Kerbs in Bristol - The Drop Kerb Company

The Drop Kerb Company has many years experience of installing high-quality drop kerbs in Bristol we have full street work accreditation and public liability in excess of £10M in compliance with council regulations

The Drop Kerb Company is an accredited company who

have public liability insurance of a minimum of £5 million
will complete the work to the council’s vehicle crossover specifications
have appropriate NPORS or SWQR qualifications under the New Roads and Street Works Act (1991)
have a current docxvehicle crossover licence (docx, 44 KB) for the work

The Drop Kerb Company will:

make sure your driveway meets the dropped kerb standards
check if you need planning permission
apply for the licence on your behalf

Get a Quote

To get a competitive quotation for your drop kerb installation, email info@dropkerbcompany.co.uk ; phone 01172510500 or use the Quick On-Line Estimate form below

On-Line Estimate

Please note: Online estimates are for guidance only. No work will be completed without a site visit and a full written quotation being accepted

Useful information about drop kerb installations in Bristol

You should read the full pdfGuidance and Process document (pdf, 1.29 MB) which gives further information about applying for a vehicle crossover and dropped kerb.

Planning permission

You’ll need planning permission if:

your property is divided into flats
your property is in a conservation area and you’d need to remove a gate pillar, wall or fence that’s over one metre high
you need structural work to make the parking area
the dropped kerb is going to be installed on an A, B or C class road (a classified street).

Use Bristol Council’s street checker Go to https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=ff25dd2b37c249428d977325d354cd8e (opens new window) to see if your street is classified.

Driveway standards for a dropped kerb

You can only have a dropped kerb if your driveway meets the following criteria.

This should be across the boundary of the driveway to to make sure surface water drains away before it reaches the road.

Driveway size: where planning permission is not required

Option 1: End on, drive straight in, parking:

at least 4.8 metres long from the pavement edge that’s closest to the driveway to the edge of your building
2.4 metres wide for a single space or 4.8 metres wide for a double space

Option 2: Parking parallel to the footway:

at least 3 metres long from the pavement edge that’s closest to the driveway to the edge of your building
6 metres wide

Driveway size: where planning permission is required

Each planning application is assessed on its own merits so the measurements below are intended as a guide only.

Contact development.management@bristol.gov.uk if you’ve any queries regarding size or layouts for a dropped kerb on a classified street.

End on, drive straight in, parking:

at least 5.3 metres long from the pavement edge that’s closest to the driveway to the edge of your building, 4.8m if the driveway does not abut against a building
3 metres wide

There is generally no allowable option for vehicles to park parallel to the kerb on classified streets.

Our pdfdriveway size diagram (pdf, 69 KB)pdf (pdf, 69 KB) provides a visual reference to the minimum size requirements for classified streets.

Why your planning application may be rejected

The council can refuse permission for a dropped kerb if it causes a road safety risk, such as:

not enough visibility of oncoming traffic
your property is on a bend, a road junction or there’s a steep slope between your property and the road
your property is close to traffic lights
there’s not enough space for your vehicle
a street lamp or street furniture such as postboxes, road signs and benches is blocking access

Construction materials and design

The driveway must be made from either: porous asphalt, porous concrete blocks, concrete or clay block permeable paving laid on a sub-base of materials such as 4/20 or Type 3 Go to https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permeable-surfacing-of-front-gardens-guidance (opens new window).

The driveway must not have loose gravel surfacing.

In most cases the Bristol City Council Standard Detail must be followed when installing a vehicle crossover and dropped kerb. Refer to the following documents for specific design and construction details:

Drainage

The driveway must have suitable drainage where it meets the road boundary.

See our pdfdriveway drainage diagram (pdf, 81 KB).

Further guidance and how to apply

To apply for a vehicle crossover and dropped kerb, you should complete the relevant application form on the highway excavation licence page located on our excavation licence page. The Drop Kerb Company can do that on your behalf

If a vehicle crossover and dropped kerb have been installed without permission Bristol Council willconsider taking enforcement action.

If they do take action then you’ll need to apply for a retrospective licence for the dropped kerb, including retrospective planning permission Go to https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ensuring-effective-enforcement#Retrospective-planning-application (opens new window), if applicable, or restore the kerb to the way it was before.

Please note:

· Quotes are valid for 3 months.

· If you live in Bristol on acceptance of a quote, THE DROP KERB COMPANY will on your behalf apply for an excavation licence from Bristol City Council. This takes up to 28 days.

· The excavation licence costs £328 and is payable on acceptance of the quote, this charge is non-refundable.  An inspector from Bristol City Council will visit your property.

· THE DROP KERB COMPANY apply to the utility suppliers to your property for an Ordnance Survey Map – this is the check whether there are pipes/cables under the footpath that the contractor needs to know about before excavating the footpath. This takes up to 28 days.

· Full payment (inc. VAT) will be required before any works commence, an invoice will be raised.

· If you live in Bristol before any work can commence the site must be clear of all obstructions and the ‘Internal Works’ (driveway) must be completed.

· If you live in South Gloucestershire or North Somerset THE DROP KERB COMPANY will require a colour copy of the permission and plans before any works can commence and the site must be clear of all obstructions and unless specifically quoted for any walls, fences, hedges must be removed including all footings and roots.

· You can pay be cash/bank transfer/credit or debit card (please note there is a small fee of 2% charged on credit card payments to cover the cost of card processing).

· The actual build takes 3 – 5 days

· All quotes are to the specification of the relevant council.

· The construction of a dropped kerb remains part of the public highway and does not give the resident any legal right of ownership to the land or license to police that crossing in any way. However, a dropped kerb does provide full acceptable rights to drive across the footway/highway land to gain access to your property.

· All dropped kerbs are guaranteed for 12 months, after that the maintenance is the responsibility of your local council.