Dropped kerbs in Milton Keynes: how the process works
By Terry O'Reilly, owner, 17 years on the tools. Updated . 4 min read.
In Milton Keynes you apply to the council's highways team for a dropped kerb (the council calls it a vehicle crossing), pay the council's application fee, and once it is approved the kerb is lowered by a contractor licensed to work on the public path. The council checks the drive is big enough to park on and that the crossing is safe. It is a separate process from planning permission for the drive, and it is best planned with the drive rather than after it.
What is a dropped kerb and why do I need one?
A dropped kerb (the council's name is a vehicle crossing) is where the kerb and the footpath are lowered so a car can drive over them into your front. Without one, driving over a full-height kerb cracks the path, and the council can take action because the path is theirs, not yours. It also means a car parked across your drive on the road is not blocking a legal access, so you have no comeback.
If you already have a crossing that is wide enough, you can skip all of this. Most houses in Bletchley and Wolverton that are turning a front garden into a drive for the first time do not have one, and that is where the process below comes in.
How do I apply for a dropped kerb in Milton Keynes?
Milton Keynes City Council calls it a vehicle crossing application, and it sits with the highways team, not planning. In plain terms the steps are:
- Apply online on the council's "apply for a dropped kerb / vehicle crossing" page and pay the application fee by card. The council sets the fee and shows it on that page, and it is not refundable if the answer is no.
- The council checks the site. The main test is that you have enough hard, paved space to park on, at least 5.0m by 2.5m on your own land, square to the road. They also look at sight lines, junctions, trees, lamp posts and street furniture.
- Planning permission may be needed separately for the crossing on some roads, usually classified roads. The council tells you if that applies.
- Once approved, you have six months to get the work done, or you reapply and pay again.
- The kerb is lowered by a licensed contractor. The contractor needs a licence from the council to dig up the pavement, which carries its own council fee and covers inspections and a completion certificate, plus qualifications for working on public roads and the level of public liability insurance the council asks for.
The council's rules and fees change, so check its current page before you apply. Terry checks them for your street as part of the quote.
Who actually does the work?
The council's current guidance says the kerb must be lowered by a suitably qualified contractor that the council approves. I handle the application and arrange that contractor with your drive, so you do not have to find one yourself. Either way, the person lowering the kerb has to be licensed to open up the public path, and the council inspects the work before signing it off. It is not a job for whoever is laying your blocks unless they hold that licence.
Would you rather just ask Terry?
A photo and a question on WhatsApp gets a straight answer, usually the same day.
How long does a dropped kerb take in Milton Keynes?
The council does not publish a fixed timescale, and it depends on whether the crossing needs planning permission as well. From what I see on jobs, allowing a few weeks from application to approval is realistic, and the kerb itself is usually a day's work once the licence is in place. The mistake people make is finishing the drive and then applying, which leaves a new drive you cannot legally drive onto for weeks.
Why should the drive and the kerb be planned together?
Three reasons, and they all save money.
- The council wants the hardstanding first. The crossing is only approved where there is somewhere to park, so the drive has to be there or in the quote.
- Levels. The new drive has to meet the lowered kerb at the right height, with the slope going away from the house and the water going into your own ground, not the road. If the two are done by different people at different times, you get a lip or a puddle.
- Width. The crossing width, the drive width and any wall or planter at the front should be one decision, not three.
So when I quote a new block paving, resin bound or tarmac drive, the kerb is part of the conversation from the first visit. I handle the council application and arrange the kerb with the drive, so it is legal to use from the day we finish. The council approves the contractor and sets the fee. See our dropped kerbs page for what that covers.
Is the process different in Leighton Buzzard or Bedford?
Yes. Milton Keynes City Council only covers Milton Keynes. Leighton Buzzard comes under Central Bedfordshire Council and Bedford under Bedford Borough Council, and each has its own application form, fees and rules. Bedford, for instance, has separate guidance for classified roads, and in Bedford the council builds the kerb itself. The principle is the same everywhere: apply first, prove you have room to park, use a licensed contractor, and get it inspected.
What does a dropped kerb cost on top of the drive?
There are three parts: the council application fee, the contractor's licence and inspections, and the labour and materials to lower the kerb and rebuild the path. Prices vary with the width of the crossing and whether the path has to be dug out and relaid. I put the kerb as a separate line on the written quote so you can see it, and the cost guide explains what else moves the price of the drive itself.
