These procedures ensure that the safety of other road users and pedestrians is not compromised, and that damage is not caused to the road, footway or the utilities underneath.
Vehicle access onto the road (highway)
A proposal for a new access or to extend and existing access will need to satisfy both planning and highway requirements before it can proceed. The following steps should guide you through the necessary procedures.
Step 1
If you live on a classified (A, B or C) road, you will need planning permission for a new access to your property, in addition to permission from us as Highway Authority.
Consent from us for the construction, amendment or removal of a vehicular access does not imply or expressly give approval to the construction of a hard standing, driveway or garaging within your own curtilage. In addition to the possibility that planning approval may be required to form or amend an access from the highway, you may also need to consult the local planning authority about works within your property.
To make a planning application, you'll need to produce plans of your proposals and pay a fee to the relevant district or borough council.
Planning permission is not usually required if the access is onto an unclassified (minor) road. It may still be needed if the access forms part of more extensive works or is in a conservation area.
You should seek advice from your local planning office before proceeding with an application. If they say that planning permission is not required, make sure you have that decision in writing as it will be necessary to provide this as part of your application.
Step 2
Once you have planning permission for the proposed access or, where appropriate, confirmation stating it is not needed, you should read the following information.
Refusal of a request for a vehicle crossing
If planning permission has been granted for an access, then we (as the highway authority) are unlikely to refuse a request for the access.
If planning permission is not required for the access then it is rare for a request to be refused. However, if we believe your proposal puts other road users at risk or seriously interferes with the free flow of traffic on a busy road, then it may be turned down.
Constructing a vehicle crossing
We no longer provide quotes for the work to be carried out by ourselves. However, we allow private contractors to construct vehicular accesses.
As we have a responsibility to manage all work on the local highway network, we require contractors to have certain personnel qualified under the New Roads and Street Works Act accreditation scheme.
The contractor should also carry public liability insurance to a minimum of £5 million.
It's in your interests to ensure that any contractor working for you conforms to these minimum standards as the cost of claims through accidents or utility apparatus damage can be very high and will be passed on to you for settlement.
Works by a private contractor must be undertaken to our specification and design criteria and be guaranteed by you as the applicant for 2 years.
If your chosen contractor has previously worked within the county in the past year, they are likely to already be registered with us and you'll be able to select them as part of your application.
Before making your application please ensure that you have appointed a contractor and contacted them to obtain the reference number which will be required when you submit your application. If your appointed contractor is not registered they will need to register their company details before you can apply.
Utility apparatus, street furniture, street lighting and disabled parking bays
Either you or your contractor will need to obtain details of the nature and position of utility apparatus.
The full costs of any alteration, diversion or protection of utility apparatus necessitated by the construction of a vehicle crossing will be paid by you.
If a street light or other street furniture requires repositioning prior to the installation of a vehicle access, the applicant will meet the full cost of the relocation as required. Street nameplates are the responsibility of the borough or district council and you'll need to contact that authority for permission to reposition or replace them.
Bus shelters are the responsibility of various owners and you should obtain appropriate permission to reposition or replace them.
If there is an existing disabled parking bay painted on the road outside your property then this needs to be removed as part of the dropped kerb works. If the bay wasn't provided for this property then it will need to be repainted at another location. The cost for this work will be paid by the applicant who needs to arrange their own lining contractor who is insured and qualified to carry out this type of work on the highway. Our traffic and safety team will provide location plans and the required specification for the new parking bay.
Other permissions
In the case of rented property (including council property tenants) you'll need to obtain the permission of the property owner. Owner occupiers may need to consult their property deeds for specific conditions or covenants regarding parking on the property.
Constructing your new drive or hard standing
Work to construct your drive or hard standing on your own property would need to be carried out by yourself or your private contractor.
Closing an unauthorised vehicle crossing
We have authority to take action to prevent use of unauthorised crossings.
Charges
Permission for a vehicle access is subject to a charge of £50 to cover the cost of inspection of the works and administration and is non-refundable. This payment needs to be made at the time of application and can be paid by either you or your contractor.
You or your contractor needs to make this payment within 7 days of receiving the email containing the payment link, otherwise you will need to submit a new application.
Permission is required on publicly maintainable highways only, which includes definitive rights of way. If you require confirmation that the road you are referring to is maintained by us, please email highways.extents@derbyshire.gov.uk before applying, as your fee will not be refunded if we don't maintain the road.
Time limit to complete
Works should be completed within 3 months of approval.
Once the works start, they should be completed as quickly as possible, normally within 3 days.
Maintaining the vehicular access
Provided that the access is constructed in accordance with the specification, the access becomes part of the highway and is then maintained by us.
If we believe that the works have been undertaken incorrectly, we will make investigations, which may include drill holes, and recharge the cost of these to you if the work is found to be faulty.
Next step
If you'd like to apply for a vehicle crossing, you need to make sure you have sufficient space and visibility on your property. Please read the technical specification documents attached to this page before proceeding with an application.
Apply for vehicle access or a dropped kerb
We're currently receiving a high volume of enquiries and your application may take up to 8 weeks to process. We'll process your application as soon as possible within this time. Please don't contact us to follow up your application sooner than 6 weeks after submission.
To ensure your application is not delayed, please make sure you've provided all the information requested within the application, and that either you or your contractor has completed the payment or it will not be received.