Vehicle crossings

A vehicle crossing, usually called a dropped kerb, lets you drive legally across the footway to park on your property. In Harrogate, it needs North Yorkshire Council's approval.

Briefly

You need North Yorkshire Council's approval before a kerb outside your Harrogate home is lowered. The council looks at road safety, visibility, trees and street furniture, and whether your frontage is deep enough. Classified roads may also need planning permission. We help you plan the driveway around the crossing.

Example image: a lowered kerb across a grass verge to a block paved drive

Who decides

North Yorkshire Council is the highway authority for Harrogate. It considers whether a crossing is safe and practical: visibility for drivers and pedestrians, distance from junctions, street trees and verges, lamp columns and utility covers, and whether there is room to park within your boundary without overhanging the footway. If the road is classified, planning permission may also be needed.

Grass verges and trees

Many Harrogate roads have wide grass verges and street trees. Crossing a verge, or working near a tree, can affect whether a crossing is approved and how it's built. The council will advise on this.

Our part

We can help you understand what the council looks for, gather information for the application and design the driveway so its levels meet the new crossing properly. The council will confirm who can carry out the work on the highway.