Dropped Kerbs & Driveway Widening in York

What is a dropped kerb?

A dropped kerb, also called a vehicle crossing or crossover, is the lowered section of kerb and strengthened pavement that lets a vehicle cross the footway to reach your driveway. Driving over a full-height kerb and an ordinary pavement is not allowed, and it can damage the footway and any pipes and cables beneath it. If you are creating a new driveway, or making an existing one wider than the current crossing, you will usually need a new or extended dropped kerb.

Who approves dropped kerbs in York?

In York, City of York Council is the highway authority, so you apply to the council and must have approval before any work is done on the pavement or verge. The council publishes its current process, criteria and fees on its website at york.gov.uk. Things it typically considers include road safety and visibility, the length of your front garden, nearby junctions, trees, street lights and other street furniture, and whether planning permission is also needed, for example on classified roads or for listed buildings.

Outside York, the highway authority is different: North Yorkshire Council for Selby, Tadcaster, Malton and Harrogate, East Riding of Yorkshire Council for Pocklington, and Leeds City Council for Wetherby.

How we plan your driveway around the crossing

The private part of the driveway, inside your boundary, is the part we design and build. We plan it to work with the crossing you are approved for, not the other way round. During the free site visit we:

• Measure your front garden and check it can fit a car without overhanging the pavement
• Note anything near the kerb that could affect approval, such as a tree, lamp post or drain cover
• Check levels between the road, pavement and your house, so the drive is not too steep
• Plan drainage so water does not run from your drive on to the pavement
• Suggest a layout and surface, such as block paving or resin bound, that meets the permeable surfacing rules

We will also give you the measurements and a simple layout you can use when you apply.

Front garden surfaces and planning

In England, a new or replacement hard surface of more than 5 square metres in a front garden generally needs to be permeable, or drain to a lawn or border within your property, otherwise planning permission is needed. Permeable block paving and resin bound gravel on a porous base are both designed to meet this, and we design every front driveway with it in mind.

Widening an existing driveway

Widening is one of the most common jobs we do in York, especially where a single drive has to serve two cars. If the extra width needs a longer dropped kerb, that has to be approved first. Where only the private side changes, such as widening within the garden for a second car that uses the existing crossing, approval may not be needed, but it is worth checking. We will be clear about which applies before you commit.

Related services

This is part of our driveways & block paving service in York. We often combine it with patios, driveways and fencing so everything matches.