Vehicle Crossings
Why construct a vehicle crossing?
There
are two main reasons for building a vehicle crossing. Firstly,
pavements are designed and constructed for pedestrian use.
Persistent driving over or parking on a pavement may cause
hazardous potholes or may damage underground cables and pipes which
can be dangerous and costly to repair. Please see Costs and
timescales details.
Secondly, it is an offence to drive a vehicle over a pavement or
verge which is not part of a properly constructed vehicle crossing
and the Council has powers under the Highways Act 1980 to serve a
Notice on offenders and recover all reasonable costs for building a
vehicle crossing.
- The area of hardstanding
within the property curtiledge must not exceed 5m² without the
benefit of planning permission. Drainage must be by way of a
permeable medium such as flower beds or loose bound material e.g
gravel or stone rejects. Further information can be obtained
from the Council’s Planning offices.
Applying for a vehicle crossing
Wherever a pavement or verge to be driven over is a public
highway or is otherwise maintained by the Council, the crossing
must be constructed with the approval of the Council. Applications
on 'A' classified roads will be referred to the local highway
authority on your behalf.
The Council encourages the provision of vehicle crossings to help
reduce the number of vehicles parked on the street. Each
application will be considered on its own merits, and some
properties may not be approved for safety or other reasons.
Information in this section should enable you to see whether space
or safety considerations will make it possible to construct a
driveway or suitable parking space within your garden. As there is
a non-refundable fee for the survey and estimate, you are advised
to check your proposal against the following criteria:
- Is there enough distance between the back of the pavement/verge
and the front of your house or garage in your garden? The
recommended garden depth required is usually 5 metres clear of any
access to a door (6 metres in front of a garage)
- In some circumstances it is possible to consider parallel
parking where the crossover would have easy entry and egress and
low pedestrian use
Is the access wide enough?
A minimum width of 2.4 metres is required at your boundary, and
through the entire parking bay, for a single vehicle width
access
Is the position of the access at least 10 metres from a road
junction?
- If the location of the proposed crossing is closer than 10
metres to a road junction it would create a serious
hazard and the application will be refused. This is necessary
unless the road is a cul de sac. This dimension may be
increased to 15 metres on major roads or near to busy
junctions
Will you be
able to see pedestrians and vehicles clearly enough to drive out of
the driveway without causing danger to yourself or other road
users?
The application will be refused if the crossing would not meet
visibility requirements. Greater visibility may be required on
faster, busier roads
Are you the owner of the property in question?
If you are not the freehold owner of the property, you will need
to obtain the permission of the owner for the construction to be
undertaken, before the application can be considered.
Does your application meet this
criteria?
The access must not have a detrimental impact on the amenities
of the area. For example, there must be no loss of, or damage
to, established trees or major area of grass exceeding five
metres in width or other landscaping within the highway
boundary. Is the area of verge fronting your property of
minimal depth and free of general landscaping and trees?
- The access must not restrict the use of a parking bay or
lay-by. However, if a parking bay is generally underused, and a
replacement bay can be provided (at the cost of the applicant), a
crossover may be approved
- If you can answer 'yes' to all these checks, then you may
decide to apply for a quote for a crossing. If the answer to any of
them is 'no' then it means that your site is unlikely to be
suitable for the construction of a crossing and your application is
unlikely to be approved.
Complete the application form
and send it to the Council who will carry out a survey
and check all the criteria described above. If this
reveals that any of the criteria cannot be met, you will be advised
that an access cannot be constructed and you cannot proceed any
further. The survey fee is not refundable in these
circumstances. If the location is suitable for an access you
will be sent an estimate of the cost of constructing the
crossover.
Costs and timescales
The Council's estimated cost will vary depending on individual
circumstances since it is based on the cost of the work required to
construct the proposed crossing. The estimate will not include any
costs arising from additional work found to be necessary over and
above the original standard specification such as alterations to
the public utilities' plant. The cost of this additional work will
be met by yourself and you will be invoiced accordingly. As a
guide, crossovers are likely to cost at least £850. A
non-refundable fee of £83 is charged for the survey, which must be
included with your application
form.
Within ten working days of receiving your application the Council
will advise you of the suitability of the site and will provide you
with a fixed price quotation for building a vehicle crossing. Upon
receipt and banking of your full payment, the work should be
substantially completed within 28 working days.
Other permissions needed
If the answer to either of the following questions is 'Yes'
then planning permission is required:
- Is the means of access on to a trunk or classified road?
- For example, Great Cambridge Road A10; Ware Road A1170; Goffs
Lane B156; Station Road, Broxbourne B194; Stanstead Road; Longfield
Lane
- Will the means of access be constructed independently of any
other development such as a garage or hardstanding? Any development
carried out as 'permitted development' can only be undertaken if
the development does not create an obstruction or danger to people
using any highway that is open to vehicular traffic.
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