17-07-2025
Anger as Bexley dropped kerb denied 'over house being 30cm too small'
A woman has claimed she has been 'stonewalled' by Bexley Council after her bid to have a dropped kerb outside her house in Bexleyheath was dismissed.
Louise McCarthy says it has been 'frustrating' to be denied a dropped kerb after she had worked hard for years to buy her first home in Standard Road.
She first applied for the kerb to be lowered in October 2023 and was told that her home was not wide enough by 30cm under council rules.
But she claimed that Bexley Council's position lacked 'commonsense' as other terraced houses in her street that have identical dimensions already have a dropped kerb.
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Louise McCarthy has pointed out that other terraced house in her road have a dropped kerb (Image: Louise McCarthy)
Ms McCarthy has since appealed the decision and contacted the council on multiple occasions asking for 'discretion' but believes her pleas have been ignored.
'We knew it was a busy road when we bought the house, but we thought we could get a dropped kerb,' she explained.
'How they've dealt with it is quite shocking. They just say this is the policy and that's a red line.
'They're digging their heels in over 30cm. We just have nowhere to turn – it's near on impossible to park down the street especially on a weekday which is far from ideal.'
She added that she felt the council has shown little concern for the implications of denying her a dropped kerb.
'I have to park further down the road and it's quite a quiet road at night – there's not many people around,' she explained. 'They clearly don't care about my safety.'
Ms McCarthy added: 'We're doing a full renovation so we're planning on staying there for at least six or seven years.
'I've grown up in this area and I want to stay in this area.
'I've been fortunate enough and saved hard enough and worked hard enough to buy a house.
'Then to have this reception from the council has been hard work.'
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A Bexley Council spokesperson said that the minimum size requirements are to ensure that parked vehicles do not obstruct the pavement by overhanging or with opening doors.
They added: 'Although an applicant may currently own a smaller vehicle, once a crossover is approved, in the future it would be available to be used by large vehicles by the applicant or future owners.
'Some properties on this road do have existing driveway access, but these were approved under earlier policies and cannot be revoked.
"The current policy has been updated to reflect the increase in vehicle sizes in recent years and the problems experienced where driveways are too small.'
