Dropped kerbs and vehicle crossings
Dropped kerbs in Hampshire and Surrey
Two counties, two completely different processes. We know both, we hold the insurance and licence Hampshire requires, and we tell you what it will cost before you pay the council anything.
A dropped kerb sounds simple and the paperwork is anything but. In Hampshire you apply to the county council, you get approval, and then you appoint your own contractor, who must hold ten million pounds of public liability cover and take out a Section 171 road opening licence. Hampshire is explicit that a contractor working without that licence is doing so illegally. In Surrey you cannot choose freely at all: the county will only allow an approved contractor to do the work.
We work across both counties and we will tell you honestly at the first phone call which process applies to you, what the council fees are, how long it takes and whether we can do the crossing itself or only the driveway behind it.
What is included in the price
- Telling you which authority you are dealing with and what the real timescale is
- Help with the application and the specification the council will accept
- Public liability cover at the level the highway authority requires
- Section 171 road opening licence obtained before we break ground
- Kerbs lowered or crossing constructed to the authority's specification
- Utility apparatus checked and the companies notified where affected
- Footway reinstated to the council's specification and inspected
- The driveway behind the crossing built as one job if you want it
What is not included
Any of these is quoted separately and agreed with you first. Nothing gets added to a bill without a conversation.
- Council application fees, which are set by the authority and paid by you
- Planning permission, which is separate and needed for classified roads, listed buildings, flats and some other cases
- Utility company charges where their apparatus has to be moved
About the council fees
Council fees are set by the highway authority and change. Hampshire's application is £211.90, or £308.90 with the two week fast track. Surrey charges £80 for the initial assessment and a further £150 for the full application, £230 in total. All are non-refundable and none is paid to us.
Get this priced
Four questions and we will come back to you, usually inside the hour.
No call-out fee, at any hour
Coming out to look and giving you a price is free, day or night, weekends and bank holidays included. There is no supplement for out of hours work either.
How it works
Four steps, no surprises
We check which rules apply
Hampshire County Council for Farnborough, Aldershot and the rest of Rushmoor. Surrey County Council for Camberley, Woking and Guildford. The processes are not alike.
Application
We help you put in an application the council will accept first time, with the right specification. Hampshire responds within eight weeks, or two on fast track. Surrey sends an officer out within twenty working days.
Licence and insurance
Once approval is granted we take out the Section 171 licence and provide the insurance certificate. Nothing is dug before that is in place.
Build and inspection
Kerbs lowered, crossing constructed and footway reinstated to specification, then inspected by the authority.
Questions
Dropped kerbs and vehicle crossings: your questions answered
How much does a dropped kerb cost in total?
Two parts, and only one of them is ours. The council fee, which is £211.90 in Hampshire or £230 in Surrey and goes to them, not to us. And the construction, which depends on the width, the levels, whether the footway has to be strengthened and whether any utility covers are in the way. We quote that free of charge, once approval is in place and the specification is known.
How long does it take?
In Hampshire, up to eight weeks for a standard application or two weeks on fast track, then the licence and the build. In Surrey, an officer visits within twenty working days for the first stage, and the second stage has to be started within six months of the first being approved. Realistically, plan for two to three months from first enquiry to a finished crossing.
Do I need planning permission as well?
Often, yes. It is required where the access is onto a classified road, for listed buildings and conservation areas, for flats and maisonettes, for multiple dwellings, and where permitted development rights have been removed. Surrey also requires it where a non-porous parking surface is proposed. We flag it at the first conversation because applying for the crossing without it wastes the fee.
Can I use any contractor?
In Hampshire, yes, but they must carry ten million pounds of public liability insurance and hold a Section 171 road opening licence. Hampshire does not keep a list of approved contractors and does not make recommendations. Surrey is the opposite: the work must be done by one of their approved contractors. Ask any contractor to show you the licence before they start.
Where we do this
Dropped kerbs and vehicle crossings across Hampshire, Surrey and the Berkshire borders
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Hampshire lets you choose your contractor but insists on a licence and £10m of cover. Surrey will only allow its own approved contractors. Getting this wrong costs a non-refundable fee.
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Ring us and speak to the person who will be doing the work. Twenty four hours a day, no call-out fee, and a fixed price before anything starts.