Access protection markings (H bar)

An access protection marking (APM) also known as an ‘H bar’ is an advisory road marking.

They mark a part of a carriageway that should be kept clear of parked vehicles. They are found outside entrances to off-street premises. Usually, these are business premises or private driveways that are not obvious. We will only install an APM if it fully meets the criteria below.

If your dropped kerb access is being obstructed, refer to our dropped kerb page for more information.

To apply for an APM you must meet this criteria

• You must live in Cheshire East on a public highway. We cannot install APMs on private roads.
• You must have a dropped kerb to an off-street premises such as a garage or private driveway.
• There must be no parking restrictions already present. If there are parking restrictions in place, civil enforcement officers can enforce them.
• You must clearly show that the location is very near an establishment that generates on-street parking. Examples include shops, churches, places of worship, and schools close by. APMs will not be considered if parking issues are due to neighbours or local residents.
• You can apply for the marking to cover multiple driveways. You can also apply when one driveway is shared by multiple properties. All properties will need to give consent in writing. This can be submitted on one application.
• APMs will only cover the extent of the dropped kerb from the start of one dropped kerb to the end of the other. They will not prevent vehicles from parking next to your vehicle access. APMs cannot be extended to incorporate this.
• APMs will not be supplied to prevent parking on the opposite side of the road from your vehicle access.
• APMs cannot be used to reserve on street parking.

We will only consider applications to extend an existing APM if the adjacent dropped kerb has also been extended. There must be no parking restrictions within the extension area.

The cost of access protection markings

The charges for the 2025 / 26 financial year are as follows.

These charges non-refundable and are subject to review every year.

Applying for access protection marking

You can apply for an APM by completing the application form below.

• APM Application form MS Word, 35KB)

Print off the form and post it, along with the application & assessment fee, to:

Cheshire East Highways,

Delamere House,

Delamere Street,

Crewe,

Cheshire,

CW1 2LL

Supply as much information as possible when making your application. This will help us determine if your application is valid.

After you have applied to have an APM

Once we receive your request, we will assess whether we can provide the requested marking.

If the decision is not to install the marking, the fee is still non-refundable.

If your request is approved, you will need to make your payment for the cost of the works. Once we have received payment, we will include the road marking in our works programme for installation.

We reserve the right to decline installation

We reserve the right to not install the marking if we feel it will not be successful or will lead to undue community tensions. Similarly, if the marking is installed and causing problems, we reserve the right to have it removed.

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