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Dropped Kerbs in Cheltenham: Permission, Costs and Process

Isometric planes representing a lowered kerb and access route

If you want to drive across the pavement to a driveway in Cheltenham, you need approval from Gloucestershire County Council before any work starts, not from Cheltenham Borough Council. The council charges £310 in two stages, and the work must be done by a contractor holding the right street works accreditation. Planning permission is sometimes needed as well, which is why it pays to check that first.

This guide walks you through the whole route: who decides, what the rules say about your road and your property, what the application involves, what it costs, and how it fits with building the driveway itself.

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TL;DR

  • Gloucestershire County Council is the highway authority for Cheltenham, so it approves vehicle dropped kerbs (also called crossovers). Digging up the pavement without its authority is an offence.
  • The council fee is £310 in total: £105 non-refundable with Part 1 (site survey) and £205 with Part 2 (works and certification). These fees apply from 1 April 2025.
  • Planning permission is not usually needed, but it can be if you front a classified A, B or C road, live in a listed building, or plan a non-porous surface such as block paving.
  • You need at least 4.8 m by 2.4 m of space for a car parked at right angles to the road, and 6 m of depth in front of a garage.
  • Planning the driveway and the kerb together avoids delays and drainage problems.

Table of Contents

What a dropped kerb is and who approves it in Cheltenham

A vehicle dropped kerb, often called a crossover, is the lowered section of kerb that lets a car cross the pavement or verge into your property. The kerbs are dropped from their normal height and the footway is strengthened so the weight of a vehicle does not damage the pavement or the pipes and cables buried beneath it, as Gloucestershire County Council’s highways page explains.

Lowered kerb connecting pavement to a driveway

The public pavement outside your house is not yours. That is why approval sits with the county council as highways authority, and why the same page states that prior agreement is needed before work takes place. It also notes that excavating the highway, including the footway, without lawful authority is an offence under Section 131 of the Highways Act.

In practice this means a Cheltenham homeowner deals with two bodies:

  • Gloucestershire County Council for the dropped kerb itself (the highway question).
  • Cheltenham Borough Council for planning, if your situation triggers it (the land and surface question).

These are separate processes. Clearing one does not clear the other, a point also made in this 2026 guide on driveways and dropped kerbs.

Do you need planning permission as well?

Usually not, but check before you apply. The council’s terms and conditions for vehicle dropped kerbs say planning permission is not normally required to build a crossover in Gloucestershire. It may be required if:

  • the access would lead directly onto a classified road (an A, B or C road);
  • the property is a listed building;
  • the access serves more than one dwelling, or commercial or industrial premises;
  • permitted development rights have been removed from the property;
  • the parking area uses a non-porous material such as concrete, asphalt concrete or block paving.

That last point catches many people out. Block paving looks like an ordinary choice, but a non-porous surface that drains onto the road can bring planning into play. A permeable design, with drainage that stays within your own land, is the usual way to keep things simple. Our guide to driveway planning permission in the UK covers the surface rules in more detail.

The county council advises contacting your district council’s planning department before applying, so you know whether planning is needed alongside its agreement. For Cheltenham, that is the borough council’s planning team. Neighbouring councils say the same thing in their own words: Tewkesbury Borough Council states that an access or dropped kerb on a classified road needs a planning application, and that for an unclassified road you can apply for a lawful development certificate if you want legal confirmation that planning is not required.

Check your deeds and your landlord

Two non-planning checks matter just as much. The county council asks you to confirm that your property deeds contain no restriction on parking a vehicle within the boundary, which often applies to newer estates. If you rent from a council or housing association, or hold a leasehold, you will need the written permission of the landlord, according to the same terms and conditions.

Will your property qualify? Space and design rules

The council sets minimum dimensions for the parking space on your own land. From its terms and conditions:

Parking layout Minimum space
Car parked at right angles to the road 4.8 m deep by 2.4 m wide
Car parked end-on in front of a garage 6 m deep (so the garage door can open)
Parallel parking, where there is no on-street parking and no footway At least 6 m long by 2.4 m deep may be considered

Measure from the back of the pavement to your house, wall or garage door, not from the road. A front garden that looks big enough on a drive-by can come up short once a bay window or step is allowed for. If you are close to the limit, it is worth having the layout checked on site before you pay any fee, since the Part 1 fee is non-refundable.

The entrance itself also needs thought: width, angle, gate swing and where the water goes. Our page on driveway entrance design sets out layouts and materials that work with these limits.

How to apply: the two-part process

The county’s application runs in two parts, as set out on the official dropped kerb page.

  1. Check planning and deeds. Speak to the borough planning team, read your title documents and get landlord consent if you rent.
  2. Submit Part 1, the site suitability survey. You complete this as the householder or owner and pay the non-refundable £105 fee. The council assesses whether your site is suitable.
  3. Wait for acceptance. Part 2 can only be completed once Part 1 has been submitted and accepted. Survey approval is valid for 12 months, according to the council’s guidance as summarized on this council overview.
  4. Complete the statutory undertaker enquiries form. This is done before submitting Part 2 and relates to the pipes and cables under the footway.
  5. Submit Part 2, works and certification. This is a joint application signed by you and your contractor, with a further £205 fee.
  6. Build once approved. The works are carried out by the accredited contractor named in the application.

The council notes that a planning application, where one is needed, takes about 8 weeks to be considered, so start that early if it applies to you.

What a dropped kerb costs

The council’s total fee from 1 April 2025 is £310: £105 with Part 1 and £205 with Part 2. That covers the council’s assessment and certification only. The construction cost is separate and is quoted by the contractor, because it depends on the length of kerb to be lowered, the condition of the footway, any services underneath, and the driveway behind it.

Council fee split into Part 1 and Part 2

A few things can add cost beyond the standard route. If a parking restriction or controlled parking zone has to be altered to make your access work, the applicant pays for that, and it can run into five figures according to one summary of the council’s terms. Most Cheltenham houses will not meet this, but if there is a restriction outside your property, ask before committing.

The council also recommends getting at least three quotes before choosing a contractor. Compare like with like: each quote should state whether it includes the council fees, the kerb work, the driveway surface, drainage and making good the footway.

Choosing a contractor for the kerb work

The contractor you name must hold valid accreditation under the New Roads and Street Works scheme to work within a public highway, per the council’s terms and conditions. A builder without it cannot lawfully lower the kerb, however good their driveway work is.

Beyond accreditation, a good quote tells you:

  • exactly what is included and excluded, in writing;
  • how the drainage will be handled, so surface water does not run onto the pavement or road;
  • who applies for the council approval and who is on site day to day;
  • what happens to the surface of the driveway and the kerb section together, so the two are built as one job.

The last point matters. Many homeowners treat the kerb and the driveway as separate jobs, then discover the levels do not meet cleanly at the pavement edge. Planning them together avoids standing water and a patchy join.

Doing the driveway and the kerb together

If you are building a new driveway, the kerb application and the surface design should be settled at the same time. The surface decides whether planning is needed, and the entrance layout decides whether the council will accept your Part 1 survey.

With each surface the practical questions differ:

  • Resin-bound is permeable by design when laid on a suitable base, which helps with the porous-surface point above.
  • Block paving gives a traditional look and can be used with permeable construction or a drainage route to a soakaway or border.
  • Tarmac is a hard-wearing, practical choice, and also needs a drainage plan.
  • Natural stone suits period Cheltenham frontages, though a listed building or conservation setting may need extra consent.

Whichever you choose, the drainage plan is what keeps the driveway lasting and the council satisfied.

Our view on dropped kerbs and driveways

Most delays we see come from treating the kerb, the planning question and the driveway as three separate problems. They are one project. The entrance dictates the surface, the surface dictates drainage, and drainage is what decides whether the finished driveway still looks right in five years.

That is why we start every job with a free site visit. We look at the frontage, the levels, the space you have and where the water will go, then give you a fixed written quote that sets out the scope of work and materials, so there are no surprises later. You have one point of contact from the first visit to the final inspection.

We are also straight about the repair-or-replace question. If an existing driveway can be repaired, we say so. If a full replacement or a widening is the better answer, we explain why and show you what it involves.

Trey

Plan your driveway and dropped kerb with GL Driveways

We design and install residential and commercial driveways across Cheltenham and Gloucester in block paving, resin-bound, tarmac and natural stone, and we also handle repairs, widening, drainage solutions and full replacements. Every project starts with a free site visit and a fixed written quote, with one point of contact throughout.

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If you are planning a new entrance or reworking an existing one, see our Cheltenham driveway service or get in touch through our main site to arrange your site visit.

Timeline: what to expect from start to finish

There is no single fixed schedule, since the council’s decision times and your contractor’s availability both vary, but the stages follow a clear order.

  1. Planning check with the borough council, which may add around 8 weeks if a planning application is required.
  2. Part 1 survey submitted and accepted by the county council.
  3. Quotes and contractor choice, ideally three comparisons, within the 12-month validity of your survey approval.
  4. Part 2 submitted jointly with your contractor, along with the statutory undertaker enquiries.
  5. Construction of the dropped kerb and driveway.

Because survey approval lasts 12 months, you have time to compare quotes properly, but do not leave it so long that it lapses.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Skipping the council and hiring someone to just dig. Working on the footway without authority is an offence, and an unapproved crossover can leave you facing remedial work.
  • Assuming planning is never needed. A classified road frontage, a listed building or a non-porous surface can change the answer.
  • Forgetting the deeds. Estate covenants on newer homes sometimes restrict parking within the boundary.
  • Measuring from the wrong point. Space is measured on your land, and a garage needs the full 6 m.
  • Ignoring drainage. A driveway that sheds water onto the pavement is a problem for the surface and for the approval.

FAQ

Who do I apply to for a dropped kerb in Cheltenham?

You apply to Gloucestershire County Council, the highway authority for public roads across the county including Cheltenham, not to the borough council. The borough council only comes in if your project also needs planning permission.

How much does a dropped kerb application cost in Gloucestershire?

The council charges £310 from 1 April 2025, paid as £105 with the Part 1 survey (non-refundable) and £205 with Part 2. This is the council fee only. The construction work is quoted separately by your contractor.

Can I just lower the kerb myself or use any builder?

No. Digging up the footway without the highway authority’s authority is an offence, and the contractor named on your application must hold the New Roads and Street Works accreditation. Ask any builder to confirm this before you accept a quote.

How big does my driveway need to be?

For a car parked at right angles to the road, the council’s minimum is 4.8 m deep by 2.4 m wide. If the car sits end-on in front of a garage, the depth rises to 6 m so the door can open.

How long does approval last once granted?

Your Part 1 survey approval is valid for 12 months, during which you can proceed to Part 2. Any planning application, if needed, takes roughly 8 weeks to be considered.

Sources

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