A driveway application often involves more than one council process. Before paying a fee or commissioning construction, establish which decisions are needed and make sure each submission describes the same proposal.
Confirm the route with the relevant authority
Identify the planning authority and the highway or roads authority for the site. Find the council’s current crossing guidance and check the road classification and highway extent. A road without a visible A or B number should not simply be assumed to be unclassified.
In England and Wales, a new or altered public footway crossing needs the highway authority’s permission. Planning permission may also be required. Scotland has its own roads and planning arrangements. Ask the relevant authority about the sequence for that site; published council examples show that processes and works licences vary.
Prepare one consistent set of information
A useful starting pack includes a location plan, a measured existing and proposed layout, the property boundary, parking dimensions and the proposed crossing. Show visibility, gates, frontage features and any relevant levels or drainage details. Include clear photographs of the approach and frontage.
Record whether the proposal creates a new access, widens an existing crossing or changes the use it serves. Where technical concerns have already been raised, respond to the actual reason with a drawing or evidence that resolves it. A revised plan needs a revision reference that can be followed through the application.
Separate the authority fee from construction
Check the council’s current charges and what each stage covers. Application, inspection, design and construction charges may be separate. We recommend allowing for the possibility that street furniture, trees or drainage affect the work before relying on an initial contractor’s estimate.
Confirm who is permitted to carry out the highway works and what additional works licences or inspections are required. Planning permission by itself does not authorise a contractor to alter the public highway. Keep the written approvals with the final drawings.
If the proposal is refused, identify the real issue
A refusal on visibility, parking depth or footway safety calls for a different response from an application missing information. Establish which decision has been made and the review or appeal route available for that decision. A highways crossing refusal should not automatically be treated as a planning refusal.
For the next submission, the aim is a coherent proposal the authority can assess. The location, use, parking arrangement, crossing and supporting evidence should tell the same story.
For the next project
Identify each approval and keep the plans consistent from application through to the authorised works.
Sources and scope
- North Yorkshire Council: pavements and kerbsA local example of highway consent, planning checks and contractor requirements; local rules apply.
- Leeds City Council: request a vehicle crossingA local example of the application and works licensing process, not a national specification.
- Carmarthenshire: vehicle access and dropped kerbsWales. A local example of separate planning and crossing applications.
- Highland Council: road guidelines for new developmentsScotland. A local example of access design and roads permissions; use the relevant authority’s current requirements.
Sources checked 18 October 2026. National and local procedures differ. The project checks above are Ripple’s practical recommendations; the relevant authority determines the applicable approvals.
Related services: Crossover application support · Access drawings and design.