Footway design and improvements.
New footways, widened footways and missing links that make a site walkable, designed to recognised standards and deliverable within the highway.
Also known as: footway, footpath improvements, new footway, footway widening
What’s included.
A missing or narrow footway is one of the most common reasons officers question a site. A well-designed link to the nearest bus stop, school or shop can turn a weak location into an acceptable one, and it benefits existing residents too.
- Walking route audits
- Footway widths and gradients
- Dropped kerbs and tactile paving
- Crossing points and refuges
- Lighting and surfacing
- Highway boundary checks
Straightforward, proportionate, agreed early.
Find the gap
We walk the route and identify exactly where it falls short.
Design to the standard
Widths and details in line with Manual for Streets, Inclusive Mobility and local guidance.
Deliverable
We check the highway boundary so the footway can actually be built.
Questions we get asked
How wide should a footway be?
Inclusive Mobility recommends 2 m as a minimum in most places, so two wheelchair users can pass. Local constraints sometimes justify less over short lengths.
Who builds a new footway?
Usually the developer, through a Section 278 agreement with the highway authority.
Can a footway be built on a grass verge?
Often, if the verge is highway land. We check the highway extent before designing.
Often needed alongside.
Last reviewed October 2026 by Ripple Development Planning. Policy and guidance change; for advice on a specific site, send us the details.
From our insights.
Need help with footway design and improvements?
Send us the location and what's proposed. We'll tell you what it needs, with a fixed fee.