This page sets out the procedures for applying for a dropped kerb or vehicular access on to a publicly maintained highway in Dartford.
If the dropped kerb or vehicular access is on a privately owned highway, then these procedures are not relevant and you are instead advised to contact the landowner.
PLEASE READ THIS PAGE IN ITS ENTIRETY BEFORE PROCEEDING
Applying for a dropped kerb or vehicular access on a publicly maintained highway in Dartford requires the following steps:
1. Determining whether planning permission is required from Dartford Borough Council
To determine whether planning permission is required for the dropped kerb, please navigate to Kent County Council’s webpage on Public and Private Roads. Here on the right side of the page under the subtitle Find the status of a road click on a link called street lookup. On this page search your street name, which can be further narrowed down by the “Search by filters” to Kent, Dartford. Click' search' and select the “Map Link” next to the appropriate road. The map will display a pop-up box with a classification for your road. More information on road classifiactions can be found on the KCC FAQs page, Q14 - what is Classification?
eg Victoria Road, Dartford. Classification: A-road – indicates a classified road
- If it is listed in the link as a classified road, you must seek planning permission for the access from Dartford Borough Council;
- If your road features more than once with a mix of classified and unclassified, then please contact Dartford Borough Council for further advice, detailing this as your enquiry;
- If the road shows as a classification of 'Neither M, A, B or C', then planning permission is not required for the access. Please download a copy of this letter to give to KCC.
It will also show if the road is a publicly maintainable highway or a privately maintained road. A privately maintained road would not be classified.
2. Apply to Kent County Council to have the work carried out
The work to create a dropped kerb is carried out by Kent County Council, but they will not consider your application until you have checked whether planning permission is required. When applying to Kent County Council please enclose a copy of the letter downloaded above if you have checked that planning permission is not needed, or, in the case of planning permission being needed, a copy of the planning permission.
Further details of the process and requirements relating to the application to Kent County Council can be found on their website.
3. Will additional works within your ownership require planning permission:
If you intend on carrying out additional works to land within your ownership in connection with the use of an access (for example, an area to park vehicles) then planning permission may be required, regardless of whether planning permission is required for the access.
The following examples of additional works are likely to require planning permission:
- Any works if permitted development rights have been removed from the property (applies to some properties built post-1990 and/or within the Green Belt – please contact us directly if you believe your property may fall within this category);
- A degree of excavation (in excess of 0.3m);
- Hard surfacing (only if not made of porous materials, or without provision made to direct run-off water from the hard surface to a permeable or porous area or surface within the curtilage of the dwelling house)
4. Extension to an Existing Dropped Kerb
If you wish to extend your dropped kerb and you live on a classified road, you may need planning permission to do this unless the works are considered to be so minimal they do not need permission. In order to determine this we will need details of the proposal and time to consider this. You can seek informal advice via our pre-application advice service where a planner will consider the proposal and write to advise whether the works are considered de minimis not needing planning permission or whether you should submit a planning application. Due to limited resources the Council does need to charge for this service.
Alternatively if you consider that the works are minor and do not need a fresh planning permission but you would like a formal decision with regard to this you can apply for a Certificate of Lawful Development.
Please read through the information and guidance available if you require pre-application advice on a householder proposal.
For formal advice on whether you need planning permission for any works (within the curtilage of your dwelling house and/or the access), please apply for a Lawful Development Certificate.