jpeg1 wrote:
You may come to regret not having involved VM before the job was done.
That's not how the process works. You have to apply for permission and pay a non-refundable £118 in the case of my Hillingdon council to get a dropped kerb (my council calls it a "domestic crossover"), and the council's Highway Authority evaluates the application. One of the many issues under evaluation is utility properties and I quote what Hillingdon's Highway Authority does:
"If a utility company box or telegraph pole is situated within the area of the proposed crossover, including the tapers on either side, it will be referred to the utility company in question for inspection. They will state whether it will be necessary to lower or relocate this apparatus, and the additional cost of such works will be borne by the applicant."
So, it's up to the council to contact VM in this case to find out what action - if any - VM will take. If VM won't move the pavement Tee then the council cannot issue a permit for the dropped kerb.
There is something else which is odd. When I first saw the photos my first thought was that this dropped kerb looked nothing like all others I've seen. In the case of Hillingdon council, which i accept may not be the same as other councils, you cannot have dropped kerb across the width of your frontage (which it seems to be in the OP's case). Here is their policy.
"Where a property has an existing hardstanding that is significantly wider than the width of the crossover applied for (e.g., a 2.4m crossover serving a hardstanding capable of accommodating two or more:
a) The crossover width may be widened to match the width of the hardstanding up to a maximum width of 5m or 50% of the width of the frontage of the property (whichever is greater)."