Dropped Curb

[ozzywizard]

Just want to check somthing that has been mentioned on here before.

 

My driveway of my ex council house I built myself but with no dropped curb. I do not really use it as a drive just for storage of cars that I work on (very rare) . Anyway just received a txt of my wife that a guy knocked on the door and offered to drop it for me for 150. Is this illegal for somone to just drop it without planning permission from the council etc ?

[fletch101]

My local council have insisted on doing this work them self even on private homes for atleast the last 5 years for a sum of corse which I belive to be slightly more than £150 so is prob best to check

[buzby]

If you've an established entranceway then I doubt there will be an issue - however if you are creating one, and a contractor does the work, you always run the risk of the council complaining that it wasn;t authorised and demanding re-instatement, or they do the work and bill you for it. I don;t think it is a Planning matter, you might want to run it past the council's Roads Dept for guidance. As with all things, you might get away with it if you don't contact them, but as you don't own the pavement, it's not yours to modify.

[ozzywizard]

Thanks heaps both of ya's

[HydraUK]

Beware of Pikey's offering to sort your drive out! Once it was tarmac, now it's dropped curbs! It will end in tears!

[ozzywizard]

Thanks Hydra, not a clue who knocked as I am at work. My wife just said "a guy" . . I will check with her when I get home just out of curiosity as ya kinda limited as to what you can put in a txt. I am not even sure what reply she gave him. lol.

[bathgatebuyer]

The Council Roads Dept will need to give consent. I don't think it requires planning permission but would need roads consent.

[boyfalldown]

be careful with this one, you need to check with the planning dept. of your local council if planning permission is needed for this or not. Depending on their policies and how they classify the road your house is on you may well need full permission. Either way you'll need to get them to do the work as they'll want to ensure its done to their standards, the pavement you cross to get to your drive is properly re-inforced etc. etc.....

 

The actual terms as to when planning permission is required will vary from council to council so you really need to ask them. Most planning depts. are really helpful anyway.

 

Hugh

[johnhowell]

Ozzywizard,

 

When communicating with the local council use KERB not curb.

 

I do not think it is difficult to get the local council to install dropped, and the two dropper (ramped), kerbs across your property frontage. You will have to pay the council who will send out their own labour force or a term contractor to carried out the work. An council engineer may visit the site to ensure that once the dropped kerbs are installed the fall across the footpath is still towards the road - it can not fall towards your property. The kerb should have an upstand of at least 25 mm to provide a channel for rainwater across your frontage.

 

Does your property butt up to the back of footpath or is there a narrow piece of grass? A letter to the Highway Information team in the council will determine where the highway boundary is across your frontage - if it is not clear on the ground. The council should recreate the footpath and infill the grassed area as well up to the highway boundary.

 

Cheers,

John

[ozzywizard]

Thanks heaps for all that, a lot clearer now. My property butts up to the footpath, Their is no divide between.

[breadline]

Hiya Ozzy

Not long had mine done, right pa-lava it was, had the head of the drop kerb section out wasn't I lucky lol .. When you ring him hes like the Scarlet Pimpernel.

 

So while he was here i grilled him well

 

If you want a drive way form a private contractor they need to have 2 things, 1 license and 1 insurance cover.

 

1 giving them permission from the council to carry out such work which connects to highways 1 that confirms they have £500,000 insurance cover.

 

With out the insurance cover they won't get the license to work on council land.

 

the private company holding such insurance will be very expensive £1000 for a good job, as this needs to be charged for the price of insurance policy they have to pay.

 

The council shop round the private company's and give a yearly contract to who ever can supply at the cheapest rate.

 

I paid (rack my brains) £400 ish for a private job quote of £1200 and I have a 6 meter drop kerb.

 

any drop kerb that is installed with out this cover, council permission, or application for the individual job the council can request you pay for the work to be redone.

 

If you have a drive but no drop kerb they can also request you stop and can ask for new kerb stones to be installed which could be normal kerb stones and you would still have to apply later for the drop kerb stones if you wanted a drop kerb.

 

The comfort of having professional work is if there is any breaks they have to come back and fix it, and if anyone is hurt due to such damage you won't get sued.

 

Honestly you will be surprised how cheap! the council are for peace of mind. When that guy knocks next if he wants to earn cash ask him to clean your windows;)

 

The planning issue comes in to affect if you are on a main road as i had concidered an entrance on the small side of my home on the side street, but choose to have it on the main through road then the Planning kicked in ..i think.. its classed as an A road and thats th difference in planning the type of road you connect to.

 

BL:)