Vehicle crossovers or dropped kerbs

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What is a vehicle crossover (dropped kerb)?

An authorised vehicle crossover ("dropped kerb") allows you to access your property safely and easily when you are using a car or other domestic vehicle. Kerbs are dropped from their normal height and the pavement or verge is strengthened to take the weight of the vehicle crossing it to avoid damage to the pavement, pipes or cables buried beneath it.

This page contains all the information you need on how to apply for a vehicle crossover, and for full guidance, please see our Vehicle Crossover - householder guidance notes (PDF).

Those seeking a vehicle crossover must use one of our approved contractors and follow our application process. All our contractors have to pass a selection process, which allows us to check their suitability for carrying out these works. It also means there is an contractual framework in place which offers protection to all parties involved.

If you are looking to carry out a wider scheme of works which includes a vehicle crossover, rather than just works for a single access, please contact our Transport Development Planning Team as there is a separate process to cover this.

It is an offence to carry out any works on the footway without our express permission. Unauthorised vehicle crossovers will cause the footway to deteriorate and put those using the footway at risk. We take seriously our duty to maintain our highways and protect it from damage, if necessary by legal action.

When carrying out our assessment, the use of an electric vehicle will not be factored into any decision making, as the criteria applies to all motor vehicle types.

The application process

Please read the following carefully, as this process involves gaining approvals from both Surrey County Council and your local district or borough council.

  1. You must read and understand the Vehicle Crossover householder guidance notes (PDF) on how to apply, making sure that you meet our essential criteria. Your application will be rejected if it does not meet the criteria. We frequently receive and need to reject applications where this guidance has not been read. If your application is unsuccessful the application fee is non-refundable, so please make sure you have read the guidance.
  2. Contact your local district or borough council to determine if planning permission is required for the works you intend to carry out (including any associated work at your property). We will need to see copies of the approved planning application or written confirmation that you do not need planning permission. You may have to pay a charge for this confirmation, and it may take up to 6 weeks.
  3. Apply to us for a dropped kerb (see 'Make your application' section). There are several stages to the application process, which are described in detail in the guidance notes. We will guide you through the stages after you submit the initial application.

Make your application

After you have received written confirmation from your local district or borough council, you can submit an application to us.

Apply online (Stage 1)

Please be aware of the following before you apply:

  • Read and understand the Vehicle Crossover householder guidance notes (PDF) on how to apply
  • Understand all the costs involved.
  • Review our lane rental network map to determine if your road may be subject to additional restrictions or costs when the construction works take place
  • Can you safely drive a vehicle onto and away from the proposed location? Do things like trees, vegetation, bends, slopes, hills etc. hinder visibility for vehicles?
  • Can you safely park a standard family-sized vehicle at the proposed location without overhanging the footpath or road?
  • Know the classification of the road along which you want a vehicle crossover. You can do this through our interactive map
  • Avoid carrying out any private works to facilitate the creation of a vehicle crossover (such as removing hedges, walls, trees or moving street lights) in advance of applying and receiving confirmation that a vehicle crossover will be approved

After you have submitted the application

A Highways Customer Officer will come to the proposed location and carry out an assessment.

The location of the proposed crossover will be marked out, unless for any reason we are unable to approve the application. We will do this within 20 working days of receiving your application. We will then guide you through the next steps.

Review of completed work

Once the vehicle crossover has been completed, we will visually inspect it to make sure the work has been carried out satisfactorily and to specification.

To ensure the quality of work of the approved contractors, we also carry out lab sampling on a selection of works.

The costs

ItemCost What this involves
Initial assessment (stage 1) £125 (non refundable)

For applications that do not require planning permission*, an on-site assessment will be carried out by a Local Highways Officer (LHO) to decide if the location meets the criteria and if works can take place.

For applications where planning permission is required and has been granted, a site visit will be carried out by an LHO, who will mark up the proposed vehicle crossover.

The fee covers:

  • The initial assessment / site visit
  • Marking out the proposed crossover (if applicable)
  • Preparation of some of the required documentation
  • Administration costs

*Your district or borough Council will be able to tell you if you require planning permission or not.

Our Transport Development Planning Team offers a Pre-Planning Application Advice Service and is able to advise on the suitability of any access before you apply for planning permission

Full application (stage 2) £178 (non refundable)

If your proposed location has been approved in principle at stage 1, you will have 6 months to decide if you want to progress to a full application.

The total cost for a full application is £303, therefore the remaining £178 will be due if you do decide to proceed.

The full fee covers:

  • The administration costs
  • Contacting the Utility companies to see if they have any equipment buried at the site.
  • Management of the works with chosen contractor
  • Inspection of the site to make sure that it is built to the correct standards

This fee is non refundable.

As part of our initial checks, we will contact all of the utility companies to see what equipment (pipes, cables etc.) is located underground. This information will be passed to you in your 'crossover pack'. If there is equipment that requires adjustment or diversion, you will be responsible for the arrangement and cost.

You will also receive a licence which is valid for 6 months. Your chosen contractor must complete the works within this timeframe.

Building costs £1500 (average)

The cost depends on the amount of work that needs to be done and the contractor you use. You must use one of our approved contractors. The average cost is roughly £1500.

There are several external factors that can affect your quote, including:

  • The size and gradient of the proposed crossover
  • Utility adjustment/diversion
  • Street furniture adjustment
  • How quickly the contractor can carry out the works
  • If traffic lights are needed or not to carry out the works
Lane Rental during building works Up to £1500 per day at peak times on the busiest roads in Surrey In April 2021, Surrey County Council introduces the Lane Rental scheme which applies costs of up to £1500 per day to those working on the busiest roads in Surrey, during specific peak times and days.

The majority of roads in Surrey are not affected by this, particularly residential roads, however applicants should check the lane rental network map before applying, to be fully aware of whether they live on a road which is subject to these restrictions.
Vehicle crossover re-mark (optional) £116 (non refundable)

If you have already agreed the vehicle crossover markings with us, and ask at a later point (following full application payment) for the markings to be changed, a £116 fee is payable.

This covers the administration and officer time required to re-attend the site and carry out the request.

Unsuccessful applications

If it is not possible for a crossing to be provided we will advise you in writing. Applications are assessed against the criteria outlined in the guidance, on a case-by-case basis and the main reasons for declined applications are provided in the Vehicle crossover householder guidance notes (PDF). Our officers need to ensure that the proposed dropped kerb meets legal requirements and would safely provide access to and from the public highway. Therefore, we cannot approve an application if it does not meet the criteria relating to key and legal requirements, amount of space required or road safety considerations.

If your application has been declined, you can ask for the decision to be reviewed. In your request, you will need to clearly set out the reasons why you consider the criteria was not correctly applied. Your review will be investigated by a senior engineer, who will aim to respond within 10 workings days of having received your request. Their decision will be final.

Some unsuccessful applicants can be unhappy if a dropped kerb was approved previously at a nearby property but their application has been refused. This may be due to less available space at the proposed location or different safety concerns such as bends, hills, slopes, controlled parking zones or disabled bays etc. Assessment criteria also changes over time so some properties will have been approved previously that would no longer be granted under current criteria. Therefore, we do not consider previously approved local vehicle crossovers as part of our assessment and only consider whether the current application is legal and safe to approve.

All reviews must be in writing and can be sent via email or in the post:

Information for prospective new contractors

We often get requests from companies who wish to join our list of approved contractors.

Surrey County Council has a formal procurement process which determines our list of contractors who can carry out dropped kerb (vehicle crossover) works for Surrey residents. As part of this, all contractors will be assessed on their suitability for providing such works in Surrey.

We do not currently have a date for when the next opportunity to join our select list will be, however please contact us to let us know of your interest so that we can inform you when we do have a confirmed date.

You should also register your company in advance on our shared service procurement portal where all tender opportunities will be listed.

More information can be found on our webpage about supplying the council.

Files available to download