Vehicle crossing criteria

The Council will consider exceptional circumstances in line with its public sector equality duty.

In order for us to approve a vehicle crossing at your property, your application must satisfy the following criteria:

• The parking space (within your own property) for your vehicle must have a depth of 5 metres (at approximately right angles to the road) by a width of 2.5 metres. Please note - we will not allow any vehicle crossing where the depth of the frontage parking space is less than 5 metres so please do not apply as your application fee will not be refunded.
  
• The width of your vehicle crossing, for a single property, is between 4 to 5 drop kerb lengths (3.6 to 4.5 metres) and 2 ramp kerbs (1.8 metres).
  
• If your vehicle crossing is shared with your neighbour’s vehicle crossing then the width is 8 to 10 drop kerb lengths in total (7.2 to 9.0 metres) and 2 ramps (1.8 metres), 4 to 5 drop kerb lengths in front of each property.
  
  
• You may have a second crossing on unclassified roads but there must be a length of 5 metres of full height kerbs between the two crossings to prevent entire frontages being dropped.
  
• The position of the vehicle crossing must be in a safe position and have adequate visibility.
• A vehicle crossing is likely to be refused that interferes with bus stops, pedestrian crossings, disabled parking bays, crosses large verges or ornamental areas, removes mature trees or is in a lay-by.
• You must show control of the land from your property to the public highway. Sometimes there will be a gap between the two which may belong to others (i.e. common land, parish council, district council).
• The cost of your vehicle crossing may prove expensive if there is statutory undertaker’s apparatus (gas, electric, water etc.) to lower or relocate. You may be able to identify whether there will be a likely problem by looking at whether there are any covers or gullies in the path of your proposed crossing.
• If the vehicle crossing is in an area where there is residents’ parking, you need to be aware that legally you will not be able to stop someone parking across your drive unless you apply for the legal order for the lines to be amended which is costly with no guarantee of success.
• Any vehicle crossing which crosses a watercourse or pipe will need to be piped (or bridged) with the largest possible single pipe size, with multiple pipes being used if a single pipe is not achievable.