If you want to drop or lower the kerb outside your house, you need our permission so that we can make sure that it will be safe.
There are a few things you can check before you request an assessment to see if you're eligible for a dropped kerb.
Turning your front garden into a drive
If you're thinking of turning your front garden into a drive you must apply for a dropped kerb before you start any work.
Step 1 - Things you can check for yourself
There are many factors when deciding if you can have a dropped kerb. All requests for a dropped kerb are decided on an individual basis by one of our assessors. However, here are a few things you can check first:
Are you eligible?
- your drive must be more than 4.8 metres deep, from your house to where your drive meets the pavement. You must also consider how you would leave your house in an emergency. If you park in front of a main door, your drive must be 5.5 metres deep
- your drive must be more than 2.4 metres wide at all points
- the gradient of the drive must be less than 10%, you can check this
- you must be the leaseholder of the property or have the permission of the leaseholder
If your drive does not meet all these criteria, you cannot have a dropped kerb.
Do you need planning permission?
If you meet the criteria above you can check if you need planning permission.
You’ll need planning permission to drop the kerb if:
- it’s on a classified road, view our list of classified roads in Stockport (PDF 96kb)
- your house is in a conservation area
- your house is a listed building
- your drive is greater than 5 square metres in area and the surface does not allow water to drain through. Check the planning portal for information about paving your front garden
- the access is for a commercial or apartment building
If you need planning permission, you should get it before you apply for a dropped kerb, visit our planning pages.
Check for protected trees
You'll also need to apply for permission to do any work involving a tree with a Tree Protection Order (TPO). Find out about Tree Protection Orders.
Step 2 - Request an assessment
To request an assessment for a dropped kerb you need to:
- meet the criteria in Step 1
and - have checked if you need planning permission
- have planning permission if you need it
Costs
You must have an assessment which costs £212. In most cases, we'll be able to tell you at the assessment whether or not you can have a dropped kerb. We may have to do more to assess whether you can have a dropped kerb for example: consult with your neighbours to move a bus stop.
The average cost of a single-width dropped kerb, around 2.4 metres, is £1,500.
The more work that needs to be done, the more the dropped kerb will cost. For example:
- moving a street lamp 1.5 metres costs about £2,000
- removing a tree from the road and replacing it with 2 more costs about £5,000
You'll be given a quote for the work needed to drop the kerb at the assessment.
The assessment
Use the button below to request an assessment. We'll arrange a time to come and visit you and your property to carry out a full assessment.
You can find out about the things we’ll be checking for in our guidance and self assessment (PDF 541Kb)
If we cannot approve your request for a dropped kerb, we can give you advice and guidance on the changes you could make. If you make the changes we’ll come out again and re-assess your property for no extra charge.