PARKING in your front garden might seem like the most legal place but without a dropped kerb you could be in trouble.
Even if you own your property it doesn’t mean you can park in your front garden without a dropped kerb. Here are the things you’ll need to consider.
A dropped kerb refers to the lowered pavement in front of your property that you can drive over to access your driveway or front garden.
It is an offence to drive over a footpath without an authorised dropped Kerb to park in your front garden.
Residents would need to apply to their local council for a dropped kerb to be constructed.
Where residents wish to drive over a footway path to park in the front garden of their property they are required under Section 184 of the Highways Act 1980 to have a footway crossing constructed.
A footway crossing is a dropped kerb which forms a ramp into your driveway parking area.
The council will only grant permission for a dropped kerb if there is sufficient space in your front garden to accommodate a vehicle.
According to Direct Line Group councils receive over 14,000 planning requests for dropped kerbs each year, however a fifth of applications are rejected.
In order to be granted planning permission for a dropped kerb, your front garden must meet your councils conditions to ensure the vehicle doesn’t overhang or damage the pedestrian footpath.
Depending on where you live a dropped kerb must be the minimum of 2.4metres wide, while not exceeding 6metres in length at the kerb line.
Residents must also demonstrate that they can maneuver on and off the drive-way safely.
According to Checkatrade the average cost of a dropped kerb is roughly £1,800 to create a new vehicle access point, or £1,100 to widen an existing one.
These prices do not include planning permission, with each council across the UK having its own cost structure.
The average cost for planning permission for a dropped kerb will range between £50 and £400 depending on your location.
There could also be a street work licence charged by your council, with a standard fee in the region of £450.
If you install a dropped kerb without applying for permission, you could be fined.
When The Sun checked how much you could be charged, some councils like Waltham Forest said you could land yourself with a fine of up to £1,000.
The Council where you live will consider their own enforcement action where a vehicle is found parking in a front garden without a dropped kerb.
You can find out who your local council is and what the penalty by checking on the gov.uk website.
Drivers should also be aware that parking across a dropped kerb is a parking contravention for which a Penalty Charge Notice can be issued.
Similarly if you’re are parked over a dropped kerb — or even only covering it slightly — you could receive three points on your licence as well as a fine even if it’s your blocking your own driveway.
To help you feel more confident as a car owner, here are ten things you should be familiar with about your vehicle:
