If you're thinking about creating a new driveway or extending your existing one, there's a good chance you'll need a dropped kerb to access it from the road.
Navigating the permissions, paperwork, and practicalities of a dropped kerb project can feel complicated at first glance. But once you understand how it works, it's fairly straightforward, especially if you're working with an approved Ayrshire Roads Alliance contractor like us who can handle most of it for you.
Here's everything you need to know about dropping a kerb in Ayrshire.
Planning permission and Road Opening Permits
A dropped kerb, officially called a footway crossing, is where the pavement kerb is lowered to allow vehicles to cross from the road into a private driveway. Under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, you need a permit from the local Roads Authority before one can be installed.
But getting a permit and applying for permission are two separate things, and it's worth understanding what each one covers before you get started.
Planning permission for dropping a kerb
Planning permission is approval from your local council to make a change that affects the use of land or property. It's essentially the council saying yes, this access point is acceptable in principle.
For a dropped kerb, planning permission is required if your property sits on an A, B, or C class numbered road. For other roads, planning permission isn't always required, but a footway crossing application still needs to go through the local Roads Authority.
You apply for this yourself directly to East Ayrshire Council or South Ayrshire Council, and it costs around £300.
A Road Opening Permit for dropping a kerb.
A Road Opening Permit is different. This is the permission required to actually carry out physical work on the public road, including breaking up the pavement and installing the dropped kerb.
It's submitted by the contractor, not the homeowner, and it's what allows work to legally take place on the public highway. The cost is around £300 or more depending on the traffic management required.
In short: planning permission is about whether you're allowed to have the access at all. The Road Opening Permit is about allowing the physical work to go ahead safely and legally. In many cases you need both, and they come at different stages of the process.
As an approved contractor, we handle the Road Opening Permit on your behalf. Planning permission, where it's required, needs to come from you directly, though we'll guide you through what's needed.
How we can help in the process of dropping a kerb
As driveway specialists in Ayrshire, we can help with most of the process. However, the planning permission application needs to be submitted by the homeowner or property owner directly.
We can give guidance on what's required, but the application itself has to come from you. The good news is that we handle everything else, including submitting the Road Opening Permit when the time comes.
How it works
We visit your property first to assess the site, talk through your options, and give you an accurate cost for the driveway work before you commit to anything. That way you have a clear picture of the full project before going ahead with a planning application.
Once you're ready to proceed, you submit the planning permission application directly, and we give you guidance on what's needed to make that as simple as possible.
From there, we take over. We submit the Road Opening Permit, manage the work on site, keep Ayrshire Roads Alliance informed throughout, and provide all completion documentation when the job is done.
What do you need to do yourself?
The one thing that needs to come from you is the planning application itself (if required), because legally it has to be submitted by the homeowner or property owner. But don’t worry – we’ll guide you through what’s needed.
Ayrshire Roads Alliance (ARA) inspections
As an approved contractor, we're required to notify Ayrshire Roads Alliance (ARA) of the start date, contract duration, and completion date.
ARA may choose to inspect the site at any point during the project without notice, though inspection most commonly takes place upon completion. Once the work is finished, we provide ARA with completion certification including photographs.
What are the requirements for a dropped kerb?
Before applying, it's worth checking whether your property meets the requirements. The main ones to be aware of are:
Your off-street parking area must be large enough that no part of a parked vehicle overhangs the public footway or road. Under pavement parking legislation introduced through the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, overhanging vehicles can result in an enforcement notice.
The minimum parking space length required is 6.0 metres, or 5.5 metres in some cases, measured from the back of the footway to the front of your house or garage. If your space is shorter than this, a relaxation may be considered if you can provide scaled plans showing vehicles can park fully within your boundary at an angle.
The proposed access point must be at least 10 metres from a road junction.
Drivers must be able to exit the parking space in a forward gear. Reversing onto a public road is not permitted.
If there are obstacles in the proposed location, such as lighting columns, signs, utility covers, or trees, the Roads Authority will determine whether they can be moved. Where possible, the access position should be adjusted to avoid them.
If you already have an existing vehicular access that adequately serves your property, a second dropped kerb may not be approved.
If you have an electric vehicle charger, be aware that charging equipment and charging vehicles must be a minimum of 2.5 metres from any electrically supplied street furniture.
If you're not sure whether your property meets the requirements, or you just want to understand what's involved before committing to anything, we're happy to visit and talk it through. There's no obligation, just a straightforward conversation about what you're hoping to achieve.
How much does dropping a kerb in Ayrshire cost?
While there are some factors to consider, the costs involved are roughly as follows:
Planning permission (where required): approximately £300 – paid to the council.
Road Opening Permit: approximately £300 or more, depending on the level of traffic management required – paid to the council.
Driveway installation cost: This will be quoted separately based on your specific project, but here’s our guide on landscaping costs. This is paid directly to us as your independent driveway contractors.
How long does dropping a kerb take?
The application timeline varies depending on your location and the type of road involved. A busier, more heavily pedestrianised area will naturally require more assessment than a quieter residential street, so it's worth factoring in some flexibility on timing.
Once approved and the driveway installation and kerb dropping work is underway, a standard-width crossover for a single car driveway is typically completed within five working days.
If you’re working with us to also complete your driveway installation, the total time for works will be outlined in your proposal, explaining the kerb dropping time and our driveway installation time.
Thinking about installing a new driveway in Ayrshire?
If you're at the early stages of planning a new driveway and want to understand what's involved for your specific property, get in touch. We're happy to visit, talk you through the requirements, and give you a clear idea of costs before you take any next steps.