Apply
Please note there is a fee of £346 to cover administration and site inspection costs. This fee is non-refundable.
Please read the specific Schedule of Conditions (PDF 110KB) before completing the form.
Applicants (homeowners), intending to construct a vehicle crossing must contact their Local Planning Authority, as planning permission may be required. Where required, planning permission must be obtained before submitting this application.
If the proposed works require piping, culverting or obstructs an ordinary watercourse, whether permanent or temporary, it is a legal requirement under section 23 of the Land Drainage Act to seek consent from the relevant authority.
The permit is valid for 3 months. Subsequent extensions will require a new application and are subject to a further fee.
Apply for a dropped vehicle crossing
Important changes to the processing of licence applications
We have recently reviewed the cost of licence fees for applications to work on the highway. The review confirmed the cost of the licence fees have not kept pace with the costs for administration.
Regrettably this is currently unsustainable. As such, the fees will be raised as detailed below.
From 1 August 2024 the following charges will apply to:
- Application for “minor works on/adjacent to the public highway” (Highways Act 1980, Section 171 Licence) – £248 (was £232)
- Application for “deposition of materials” (Highways Act 1980, Section 171 Licence) – £97 (was £50)
- Application for a vehicle crossing over footways and verges (Highways Act 1980, Section 184 Licence) – £346 (was £218)
- Application for skip license – £97 (was £65)
- Application for scaffold license – £111 (was £90)
This is based on CPI inflationary increase if 6.7% CPI and to align with administration costs and regional charges.
Approval
Anyone who wants to make a driveway onto their property (a dropped kerb) will need approval from us as the Highway Authority. This approval takes the form of a Section 184 Licence.
Please contact our Planning Department before you contact us, to find out if you need planning permission to create a vehicle access. If required, you must get this before you submit an application.
If the work requires piping, culverting or obstructs an ordinary watercourse, whether permanent or temporary, it is a legal requirement under section 23 of the Land Drainage Act to seek consent from the relevant authority.
You can find more information on our Consent to work on an ordinary watercourse page.
Anyone who wants to form an access which crosses a footway or a grass verge will need the approval of the Highway Authority and this approval takes the form of a Section 184 Licence.
If the access is onto an unclassified road, planning permission may not be required but the applicant should always check with the Council Planning Department.
Access to any other class of road requires planning permission.
To find out the classification of a road you need to contact the Road Records Team.
Your application
We ensure that accesses on to the highway are constructed in compliance with our safety standards and that the work is carried out by contractors accredited to work on the highway.
Please note, we cannot take responsibility for the availability of the accredited contractors to either undertake works or provide a service.
We will then send an acknowledgement letter to confirm your application. Please note you will not be able to start work until you have received a permit.
We will process your submitted application and either issue a permit where appropriate or explain a refusal.
Please note it is the Contractors responsibility to contact the local offices of Statutory Undertakers of any proposed work. They will contact you directly with details of measures they require to protect any of their apparatus which may be affected by your works.
The contractor will have to complete the work before a given expiry date. If the works have not been substantially completed before the expiry date, a new application must be made. A Section 184 Licence runs for 3 months.
We will inspect the works and issue a certificate of compliance on completion and make sure the works do not conflict with any other work planned in the same location by other contractors.
Downloads
More information
Planning permission is required if:
- The access you would like to create or alter is on to an A, B or C classified road.
- The property is a flat, maisonette, commercial or industrial premises and so does not benefit from permitted development rights for a new access.
- The property is subject to a planning condition restricting or removing its permitted development rights of the construction of a new access.
- The property is a listed building and you want to build or alter a gate, wall, fence or railing within the curtilage of the building or the surrounding property. If this is the case, an application for listed building consent will also be required.
- It would create an obstruction to the view of people driving on the road.
- The formation of the dropped kerb is not required in connection with other permitted development, such as paving your driveway.
Additionally:
- Any ground level changes or erection of retaining walls within the site may need a separate engineering operation that requires its own planning permission.
- If works to a tree with a Tree Preservation Order or a tree within a Conservation Area is required, an application for tree works will also be needed.
If you don’t think permission is required for a new access, but wish to have a formal determination, you can make an application for a Lawful Development Certificate.
Hard standings
Planning permission is required for hard surfacing if:
- The area is greater than 5 square metres and not constructed of porous materials, for example, permeable block paving or porous asphalt.
- Rainwater discharges onto the road or existing drains. This may lead to uncontrolled run-off of rainwater from front gardens onto roads which can contribute to flooding and pollution of watercourses.