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If you're considering having a dropped kerb installed outside your home to allow vehicle access to your driveway, it is so important to be aware beforehand of all the associated planning and costs involved. Dropping a kerb often isn't as simple a process as it first appears but it is definitely doable if you get to grips with everything you need to. The most quoted average cost of a dropped kerb is £600, but there are lots of different factors that can make that number vary wildly. So let's take a deeper look into the figures.
The kerb outside your home isn't owned by you. It is owned by your local council, so to drop the kerb you will need to obtain permission from them. So it isn't just the cost of the labour and materials that you will need to take into account but also the costs associated with your application and any other additional costs that will need to be taken into accounting regarding the placement of your dropped kerb.
Before you get the go-ahead to start the installation process for your dropped kerb, you will need to obtain permission from your local council and the cost of this can vary depending on where you live.
For most councils, there will be a non-refundable planning application fee as well as a fee for the required site inspection. Both of these will usually be a fixed fee. Some local councils will roll both of these fees together and they both will be non-refundable. Other councils have a non-refundable application fee and a separate inspection fee that is refundable if your initial application is refused.
The planning application fee on its own can usually cost anywhere from £70 to £160 depending on your local authority. The site inspection cost on its own will usually be between £100 and £150 (but is often refundable if your application is refused). When they are both tied in together, it can usually cost up to £300. You may also be charged extra for a road opening notice.
Some local councils will carry out random inspections of the site as the work to drop a kerb is going on and, if they find that it isn't being carried out up to standard, you will be required to pay the inspection fee.
Your local authority's website should have all the information you need about your planning application and the total cost and you can always get in touch with them if you need any extra information.
Not everyone who installs a dropped kerb will need to obtain planning permission but, if you do, then this will incur extra associated costs.
Your local council will be able to advise you about whether or not you will need planning permission to drop a kerb under your circumstances but, generally, you can expect to need planning permission if:
In some councils, such as Harlow District council, you will need to obtain open front parking permission. And in Epping Forest District, you will need permission if your home is currently or has ever been a council-owned property.
In some cases, you will also need to obtain planning permission for paving over your front garden to create a driveway. You won't need planning permission for this if the materials you are using for your driveway are porous (i.e. they allow water to permeate through the material into the ground). Porous materials include gravel, permeable block paving, porous asphalt, and concrete. You also won't need planning permission if you are able to divert water from your driveway to a permeable garden border or soakaway.
If your planning permission is denied, you will have the right to appeal.
Once you have obtained permission from your local council for dropping a kerb and received your planning permission (if you needed it) then work can get started on installing the dropped kerb. Many councils will carry out the work for you for a fee.
Alternatively, you can source your own dropped kerb contractors to carry out the work yourself. These contractors will need to abide by certain criteria to be able to carry out work on a council-owned kerb and be approved contractors.
For example, an approved contractor will need to have public liability insurance. Some local councils specify that the insurance must be up to £5 million but for others, it has to be up to £10 million. They will also need to apply to the Highways Authority for a license to carry out the work (this can cost approximately £150). And they will need to obtain a road opening notice before undertaking work and have full NRSWA accreditation.
Your local council may have a list of approved drop kerb contractors if you are having trouble finding local tradespeople yourself or you can contact your own contractor to see if they have the ability to complete the work.
The average dropped kerb cost will depend on how many kerbs need to be dropped. Including in the cost will be both the materials and the labour costs required to complete the job.
To install a dropped kerb, your contractor will need to remove on average five kerbstones and these will need to be replaced with thinner kerbstones. There will also be sloping kerbstones on either side to create a smooth transition.
The average prices will also depend on how wide the pavement is. Pavement widths can vary greatly depending on where you live and, of course, the wider the pavement the higher both the material and labour costs involved. Pavement width can be anywhere between less than 2 metres and up to 3.5 metres.
For a pavement that is less than 2 metres, you can expect to pay on average:
| Number of kerbs | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| 2 kerbstones | £330 |
| 3 kerbstones | £450 |
| 4 kerbstones | £600 |
| 5 kerbstones | £720 |
| 6 kerbstones | £900 |
| 7 kerbstones | 1,000 |
For a pavement that is between 2 metres and 2.5 metres, you can expect to pay on average:
| Number of kerbs | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| 2 kerbstones | £400 |
| 3 kerbstones | £530 |
| 4 kerbstones | £700 |
| 5 kerbstones | £820 |
| 6 kerbstones | £1,020 |
| 7 kerbstones | 1,140 |
For a pavement that is between 2.5 metres and 3 metres, you can expect to pay on average:
| Number of kerbs | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| 2 kerbstones | £450 |
| 3 kerbstones | £610 |
| 4 kerbstones | £810 |
| 5 kerbstones | £980 |
| 6 kerbstones | £1,160 |
| 7 kerbstones | 1,300 |
For a pavement that is between 3 metres and 3.5 metres, you can expect to pay on average:
| Number of kerbs | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| 2 kerbstones | £530 |
| 3 kerbstones | £670 |
| 4 kerbstones | £930 |
| 5 kerbstones | £1,100 |
| 6 kerbstones | £1,300 |
| 7 kerbstones | 1,500 |
These costs include both the labour and the materials involved but they can vary widely depending on where you are located and will fluctuate over time. You may end up paying much more or less than the average drop kerb prices when you come to have the work completed.
Unfortunately, the price of the planning application, inspection, and installation of your dropped kerb aren't the only costs that you may have to contend with. There is a myriad of extra costs involved that can escalate the overall price. Sometimes considerably so.
There will be waste associated with dropping a kerb, as there would be with any similar building work. To get rid of this waste, you will likely need to hire a skip. The cost of hiring a skip is usually between £120 and £250.
If your skip is going to be on a public highway or road (including a pavement) then you will also need to obtain a skip permit which can cost between £10 and £70 depending on which local area you live in and what council it comes under.
If your skip will be placed in a controlled parking zone, then you may also need to get a parking bay suspension. Your local council may not charge for this, but some councils do and the fee can be up to £99 a day in places like London.
In some cases, you may need to have a tree removed into to install your dropped kerb. If the tree is on land owned by your local council, they may refuse your planning application on this basis, especially if the tree is large.
If the tree is on your own land, or if your local council does agree to remove the tree, then you will need to hire a tree surgeon to remove it. Tree removal can cost anything from £175 up to £1,500 or more depending on the size of the tree, so this can add to your dropped kerb cost significantly.
It is easy to forget but underneath our pavements is often a network of utility apparatus running to the houses. When you first submit your dropped kerb planning application to your local authority, you will need to include a detailed map of the utilities.
If there are utliltiy apparatus running underneath the area of the pavement where you want to install a dropped kerb, they will need to be reinforced to be able to cope with the weight of vehicles. If there is a utility access point in the way of your dropped kerb then your application may be denied or you may have to pay to have it moved.
You will need to speak to both your local authority and the utility company to obtain permission and arrange payment for any reinforcement or relocation of utility apparatus. This can cost anywhere from £300 to over £1,000.
If the area where you are planning to install your dropped kerb has any street furniture placed on it, you may not receive planning consent. Or, alternatively, you may have to pay to have the it moved.
This can include things like street lamps, litter bins, bollards, benches, signposts, and letter boxes. Paying for these to be moved to make way for dropped kerbs can be expensive and can easily be over £1,000.
Before you have your kerb dropped, you will need to pay to have your front garden wall demolited, if there is one. You will also have to remove any walls or fences which could prevent other road users from seeing you when you are using your dropped kerb. The typical cost of wall demolition is between £300 and £1,000, depdning on the size and materials of the wall.
If you are looking into installing a dropped kerb because you want to park your car on a driveway in front of your house, you will also have to pay for driveway contractors to install your driveway. These contractors could be the same tradespeople that you use for the dropped kerb but not always.
The average cost of a new driveway is between £1,200 and £7,500 and the price can vary depending on the size of your driveway and what materials you are planning on using. The cheapest option is usually tarmac, but this isn't a porous material so you would usually need to apply for planning permission and install proper drainage.
It is true that dropped kerbs can end up being quite expensive, depending on factors affecting the dropped kerb installation. So you may be wondering whether the cost and work involved will be worth it after all.
In most cases, installing a dropped kerb is actually quite a simple process and kerb dropping prices are on the lower end of the scale. And it can definitely be worth it. More and more people are struggling with finding on-street parking as many households now have more than one car. If you have the option to create off-street parking then it can save you time, effort, and stress and make your day-to-day life much easier.
At the same time, you are in a situation where your drop kerb could run into complications that might become costly, most people would strongly advise you to get some guidance before you start down the path of trying to drop a kerb. If you use local and reliable trades, they will have a clear idea of the local process of dropping a kerb and how your local council is likely to deal with any complications, so they can be a good source of advice.
Not every drop kerb planning application is approved. While some of the issues that can get in the way of a drop kerb can be remedied, there are some situations where your application will get rejected. This will mainly be because the proposed area is unsuitable.
An application for dropping a kerb will be denied if it is too close to traffic lights, a road junction, or a roundabout. This is for safety reasons due to the potential of you impeding traffic and the potential for causing an accident, so it really can't be avoided.
If you have a steep slope from your front garden to your road, your planning application for dropping a kerb is likely to be denied. If there is a steep slope it can impede visibility of your vehicle for other road users and it also throws up the potential of your vehicle's undercarriage scraping on the floor.
For similar reasons, if your home is located on a bend in the road, your application for dropping a kerb is likely to be denied because of visibility concerns.
For your planning application for dropping a kerb to be approved, your front garden needs to be a large enough size for you to be able to manoveuer your vehicle into it without the potential of it overhanging the pavement. As a rule of thumb, the kerb must be at least 4.8 metres away from your property and be at least 2.4 metres wide.
So far, we have been talking about dropping a kerb to create vehicle access but there are also situations where the kerb can be dropped for wheelchair users to create an access ramp. The rules for this are quite different from a vehicle crossing.
If the dropped kerb is for the use of all pedestrians and disabled people living in the area, then your local council may install the kerb drop for free. If the kerb drop is for your own use only, then you will have to go through the same process as for a vehicle crossing.
You can drop a kerb using your own contractor, and you can do it yourself as long as you meet all of the criteria. But you absolutely have to go through the planning application process beforehand. If you drop a kerb without first having permission from the council, you could get into a fair amount of difficulty.
You would be liable for any damage to the footpath and the utilities underneath and you would also have to pay to have the kerb reinstated. Beyond that, it is illegal to drive a vehicle onto a pavement so you would be going against highway guidelines and committing a criminal offence by accessing your property in this way.
If you are looking to drop a kerb outside your home, either for a vehicle crossing or for wheelchair access, you will need to go through the proper channels with your local authority to get permission beforehand. The total cost can vary wildly depending on where you are located and if you encounter any extra costs, so it is important to stay organised and to keep track of all the potential costs as you go through the process. It is very often a simple process to drop a kerb, however, and you can usually source your own contractor (as long as they are council-approved contractors) to help guide you through all of the steps involved.