Dropped kerbs
Safe, legal vehicle access from the road onto your property, across Edinburgh and the Lothians. We handle all permit applications and liaise directly with the local council to get full approval before work begins.
You can’t drive across a pavement without one. Doing it anyway risks a fine and the bill for repairing the kerb you crack.
Dropped kerbs rebuilt on a compacted sub-base
A dropped kerb creates safe, convenient vehicle access to your property, and it’s the only legal way to cross a pavement by car. The work is carried out to a high standard, for durability and a long-lasting finish.
The pavement area directly behind the kerb is excavated and rebuilt using a compacted sub-base, then surfaced with high-quality tarmac to form a robust and even driveway crossing. The finished surface sits flush with the lowered kerb line.
That rebuild is the part that gets skipped. A kerb dropped without it sinks under the first year of car weight, and the council will ask for it to be put right.
Had the guys at tarmac company do my drop crossing great job.
The dropped kerb application process with the council
This is the bit people find confusing, so here it is in order. We do steps one to three; you sign, and you pay the council’s fee.
We check it’s possible
Free visit. Sight lines, street furniture, trees, and how far back your parking space runs — the things councils refuse on.
We submit
The drawings and the application go in on your behalf. You sign as the property owner and pay the council’s fee.
Council decision
Usually a couple of weeks in our experience, but it is their timescale rather than ours. We chase it and keep you posted.
We build it
Kerbs lifted and lowered, the pavement rebuilt on a compacted base, tarmac laid flush.
Dropped kerbs we’ve laid
Frequently asked questions about dropped kerbs
No. We prepare the drawings, submit the application and deal with the council directly. You sign as the property owner and pay their fee — that’s the whole of your involvement.
It happens, usually over sight lines, a tree, a lamp post or a bus stop. We check for those on the free visit before anyone spends money, and if it’s borderline we say so rather than take the fee and hope.
A couple of weeks is typical in our experience, though it is the council’s timescale rather than ours and it can run longer. We submit, chase and keep you posted, and the work is booked in once approval comes through — it is a day on site from there.
Yes, and it’s a common job once a second car arrives. Widening still needs an application, because you’re changing the crossing the council approved.
Yes, and most people do. The levels match at the boundary that way, which they rarely do when two trades do the work months apart.
Yes. The application goes to Scottish Borders Council rather than the City of Edinburgh, which changes the paperwork and the timescale rather than the work itself. We prepare and submit it either way, and the wait is that council’s rather than ours.
Edinburgh and the three Lothians, and south into the Scottish Borders. Send the address of the property and we will confirm you are in range and tell you which council the application goes to.
Start your dropped kerb application
Send a photo of the front of the house and we’ll talk you through what the council will want to see. We prepare and submit the application.
I was taken aback at how professional, courteous and hard working these guys were. They turned up everyday on time and worked flat out completing my drive within the timeline stated.
I was absolutely delighted with my new driveway and the price quoted.