Dropped kerbs in Hampshire and Surrey: the two processes, the real fees and the licence to ask for

A dropped kerb is a small piece of construction wrapped in a surprising amount of process. The process is also completely different depending on which side of the county boundary you live on, and the application fees are non-refundable, so getting it wrong is expensive.

Which authority you are dealing with

The council that grants planning permission is often not the council that owns the road. That trips up more people than any other part of this.

Hampshire: the process and the real numbers

Hampshire County Council administers vehicle crossings for Farnborough, Aldershot, Fleet, Alton and the rest of the county.

• Who applies: the property owner. If you are a tenant you need written permission from your landlord or housing association first.
• Fee: £211.90 for a standard application, non-refundable. Fast Track adds £97, so £308.90. There is no VAT, because it is a non-business service.
• Timescale: a response within 8 weeks as standard, or guaranteed within 2 weeks, that is 10 working days, on Fast Track.
• How long approval lasts: 12 months from the date of the approval letter, so do not apply years ahead of doing the work.
• The contractor: yours to choose. Hampshire does not keep a list of approved contractors and does not make recommendations.
• What the contractor must hold: £10 million public liability insurance and a Section 171 road opening licence. Hampshire is blunt about it, warning that a contractor proceeding without that licence would be doing so illegally.
• Utilities: the applicant is responsible for liaising with any utility company whose apparatus is affected. If there is a stopcock, a gas cover or a telecoms chamber in the footway, that becomes part of the job.

Surrey: a different process entirely

Surrey County Council runs a two-stage application and controls who does the work.

• Stage one: £80 for an initial assessment, non-refundable. A Local Highways Officer visits within 20 working days to assess the site and mark it out.
• Stage two: a further £150 for the full application, so £230 in total, also non-refundable. Stage two must be started within 6 months of stage one being approved.
• Contractor: you must use one of Surrey's approved contractors. This is not a preference, it is a condition.
• Construction cost: Surrey puts the building works at around £1,500 on average, varying with size, gradient, utility adjustments, street furniture and any traffic control needed.
• Re-marking: £80 if you need the site marked out again, non-refundable.
• The council's role: Surrey contacts the utility companies itself and manages the works with your chosen contractor, then inspects, and lab-samples some installations.
• If refused: declined applications are reviewed within 10 working days.

When you also need planning permission

Planning is separate from the crossing application, and it has to be in place first. Applying for the crossing without it wastes the fee. You will normally need it where:

• the access is onto a classified road, meaning an A, B or C road
• the property is listed, or in a conservation area
• the property is a flat or maisonette, or in multiple occupancy
• the application covers multiple dwellings, or commercial premises
• permitted development rights have been removed, which happens on some newer estates
• in Surrey, where you propose a non-porous parking surface

That last one links the two halves of the job together. If you are planning the driveway behind the crossing in impermeable block paving or concrete, you may need planning permission for the surface as well. Choose a permeable surface and you avoid that application entirely, at any size. Our guide on driveways and planning sets out why.

What it all adds up to, and how long it takes

Two separate costs, and it is worth keeping them separate in your head, because only one of them is ours.

Five questions to ask any contractor before you hire them

1. Which highway authority is my road, and have you done crossings for them before?
2. Can I see your public liability certificate, and is the cover at least £10 million?
3. Will you take out the Section 171 road opening licence, and can I see it before you start?
4. In Surrey: are you on the county's approved contractor list?
5. Is reinstating the footway to the council's specification included in your price?

Any contractor who is vague about the licence is telling you something important. Ring us and we will tell you which process applies to your address, what it will cost, and whether we can do the crossing itself or only the driveway behind it. We would rather say so up front than take a deposit and disappoint you.

Questions people ask

Where this comes from

The rules, fees and figures on this page are taken from the sources below. Fees change, so check the current figure before you send anyone money.

• Hampshire County Council: dropped kerbs and vehicular access
• Hampshire County Council: dropped kerb specifications
• Surrey County Council: vehicle crossovers and dropped kerbs

This is general information about how the rules work, not advice on your particular property. If something here matters to a purchase or a dispute, get it checked on your own facts.