Vehicle crossing design and construction guidelines

Follow these guidelines to avoid application delays and make sure your vehicle crossing follows all requirements. For full details, download our Vehicle Crossing Policy(PDF, 484KB)

Our design guidelines aim to:

• provide safe and properly constructed access between roads and private properties
• protect important street trees and landscaping and keep the streetscape’s visual appeal
• reduce the loss of on-street parking
• manage the effects on utility infrastructure and street furniture.

Design requirements

To avoid application delays, make sure your plans meet these requirements. 

Dimensions 

Only one vehicle crossing is allowed per property. 

The vehicle crossing cannot take up more than 33% of the property’s street alignment, excluding splays. 

Alignment 

The vehicle crossing must align with the property entrance. 

Trees and landscaping 

A 1m wide landscaping strip is recommended between the driveway and fence line. 

If you have a tree on your property, you must:

• maintain a clearance of 2 m or 10 times the tree trunk diameter from any street tree. This is measured from the tree trunk and the vehicle crossing edge, whichever is greater
• not remove or transplant established 'significant' street trees.

How to determine if a tree is significant

The General Local Law applies to any damage, removal or pruning done to a significant tree and its Tree Protection Zone. This is the area surrounding the tree's trunk that contains the roots.

A tree or palm is considered significant if it meets the below following criteria.

At ground level:

• the trunk circumference is 180 cm or more
• if there are multiple trunks, the total circumference of all trunks adds up to 180 cm or more.

At 1.4 m above ground level:

• the trunk circumference is 140 cm or more
• if there are multiple trunks, the total circumference of all trunks adds up to 140 cm or more.

 

To learn more about how to determine if a tree is significant, refer to pages 57 to 58 in General Local Law.

We recommend keeping a copy of the measurements and images of the tree for future references.

Intersections

Vehicle crossing must be at least 10m away from road junctions and 5m from laneways.  This is measured from the edge of the kerb to the vehicle crossing splay.  

Parking spaces

Parking spaces on the property must be at least 5.4m deep to avoid vehicle overhang.

On-street parking spaces must not be lost due to vehicle crossing. Any lost on-street spaces must be replaced within the property, with minimum 5.4m depth for each space.

The space between a new and any existing vehicle crossing should be 5.4m to allow for one formal parking space. If this cannot occur, the minimum distance is 3.5m.

Street infrastructure

You must not modify or build over an existing drainage pit or any other service authority pits or valve covers.

Any works that affect a public asset, such as a power pole, must have prior approval from the relevant authority.

There must be a minimum of 1 metre of distance from utility infrastructure or street furniture, unless approved by the relevant authorities.

Flooding areas

In flooding areas, the vehicle crossing must not restrict or affect drainage of the area. Properties at risk of flooding will be in a Special Building Overlay (SBO) or Land Subject to Inundation (LSIO) overlay. To find out if the property is in a flooding area, search your address on our zones and overlays map.

Preparing the site plan

Even If a planning permit was previously issued for the vehicle crossing, new site plans must be prepared for the Vehicle Crossing permit application.

The site plan must be a fully scaled dimensional plan of the proposed vehicle crossing.

The site plan must include:

• vehicle crossing width
• width of splays each side (standard 1.3m straight splays)
• distance from:
  • both boundaries
  • neighbouring vehicle crossing.
• location and distance from:
  • street trees
  • any 'significant' trees including significant onsite or neighbours' trees within 2m
  • pits, power poles, drains, etc.
• dimensions of garage, carport, and parking spaces
• distance and width of setback to garage, carport, and parking spaces
• number of onsite parking spaces.

Construction and maintenance 

During and after construction, it is important follow the following guidelines. A full list of conditions is included with each Vehicle Crossing Permit. 

Construction standards 

You must design and construct vehicle crossing according to Council’s engineering standards. 

Please ensure that you use qualified contractors. 

Construction safety 

You must implement a traffic management plan to ensure the safety of pedestrians, workers, and drivers before and during construction. 

Maintenance 

Property owners are responsible for maintaining the vehicle crossing and ensuring that it remains in good condition. 

Redundant vehicle crossing 

You must remove any redundant vehicle crossing due to changes to the property and restore the area (including footpath, nature strip, kerb and channel) to Council requirements. You must also do this when construction of a new vehicle crossing has made the existing crossing redundant.  

Sometimes a property may have redundant vehicle crossing due to changes to the property. If this is the case, you must remove the vehicle crossing and restore the area (including footpath, nature strip, kerb and channel) to Council requirements. 

Costs 

The permit holder or property owner are responsible for the following costs:

• vehicle crossing construction
• modifying or removing infrastructure needed to build the vehicle crossing
• any approved tree removal or replacement
• restoring footpath, nature strip, kerb and channel, after removing redundant vehicle crossing
• removal of crossings made redundant by the installation of a new crossing.

Legislative framework 

Your application must comply with the following regulations:

• Local Government Act 1989
• Stonnington City Council General Local Law 2018 (No.1)
• Road Management Act 2004
• Planning and Environment Act 1987.