Vehicle crossover construction
How much it will cost, effects on the environment, how long it will take, whether or not planning permission will be required, and how to arrange an estimate.
If residents wish to drive across the footway to gain access to park on their property, they are required under the Highways Act 1980 to have a vehicle crossover constructed. This is where the footway is reinforced to take the weight of the vehicle and the kerb is dropped to form a ramp.
For reasons of safety, the law, owing to risks associated with underground services and traffic management requirements and in order to protect the highway infrastructure, Bexley Council as the Highway Authority only permits the construction of a vehicle crossover to be undertaken by it's Term Highway Maintenance Contractor.
The Council will be responsible for it's future maintenance in perpetuity and no other body or person is authorised to undertake the construction of a vehicle crossover unless it forms part of an approved development under licence agreement. If you would like an estimate on the cost of constructing a vehicle crossover at your property, there is an online request form provided.
Effects on the environment
Converting your front garden to create a hard standing area for your car will have a direct impact on the street scene and on the environment.
The loss of plants and greenery from your front garden will make your street look hard and bleak, whereas careful landscaping will help to soften the area, also absorbing more noise and dust than fully hard surfaced areas.
Perhaps of even greater concern is that hard surfaces increase the risk of flooding and contamination from spillages directly entering drains and polluting local watercourses.
When choosing materials for your driveway, please consider using porous or permeable materials such gravel, crushed stone, bricks or paving that allow water to drain through into the soil below.
Installing a soakaway will prevent rainwater run-off and avoid overloading the drainage network, reducing the risk of flooding. The area of hard standing need only accommodate vehicle tracks and paths, leaving the opportunity to incorporate porous materials and greenery creating a softer appearance.
If you are proposing to construct a hard standing area, please think about the impact on the environment and your street scene and as far as possible include the above measures in your design.
How much will it cost?
There is a charge for constructing/extending existing vehicle crossovers and this is based on the total size of the proposed crossover. Charges start from £980 (from 1 April 2013) for a new crossover and charges for extensions to existing crossings depend on the area concerned
How long will it take?
Once your application is received, it normally takes up to around fourteen weeks before construction takes place, providing any wall/fence has been removed where necessary, although every effort is made to undertake the work as quickly as possible. If you have any street furniture outside your property that requires moving/removal, this may delay the process further.
Do I need planning permission?
If you live in a classified road, it is likely that planning permission will be needed before a crossover can be constructed. You may also need planning permission if you live in a flat or maisonette, in a conservation area or if structural work is required to your property to accommodate a vehicle e.g. if your property is much higher or lower than the public footway and there is a need to excavate or raise the frontage area. To find out if you need planning permission you should contact the Council's Planning department.
Please visit our classified roads page (see left hand menu) for further information.
How do I arrange an estimate?
If you are interested in having a vehicle crossover constructed outside your property, you need to put two marks at the back of the pavement where it meets your property boundary, indicating the location and the width you require.
Alternatively if you wish to extend your existing crossover, please place a mark indicating which side requires extending and by how much. A technician will then measure the crossover and an estimate will be calculated and forwarded to you.
It is also necessary to check the size of the frontage of your property to ensure that a vehicle can be parked without overhanging the pavement. It is an offence under the Highways Act 1980 for any part of a vehicle to do so and it is subject to a fine. A hard standing of a minimum size of 2.4 metres wide and 4.8 metres deep must be situated within the property.
If the hard standing requirement is not met, it may be possible to allow a vehicle to park parallel within the property boundary, but in this regard the hard standing must be a minimum of 4.8 metres wide x 3 metres deep.
