Excavations and storage of materials
A temporary structure licence is required to deposit materials or carry out certain excavations on the public highway. However, we will not normally grant consent to store materials on the public highway as they should be stored on site.
Excavations
You need our consent for any excavations in the public highway involving works to pavement lights, smoke extractor panels, vaults, basements or coal chutes.
Fencing around excavations must comply with the following conditions:
- the fence must not be more than 1.22m in height, unless otherwise agreed by the council
- the fence must be lit from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise; red lights must be fixed at all four corners of the fence and at 3m intervals
- the fenced area must contain all spoil, materials and equipment associated with the works and the highway outside the fenced area must be kept clean and tidy at all times
When work is completed the surface of the public highway must be temporarily reinstated and made safe. You must sweep up all residue and wash down the area.
Our approved contractors will carry out all permanent reinstatements at the licensee's expense.
To gain permission for an excavation, please apply for a temporary structure licence.
Where work involves apparatus beneath the highway, please contact the Highways Licensing team.
Storage of materials
In the rare event that the council grants a licence for the storage of materials on the public highway, fencing must comply with the following:
- the fence must not be more than 1.22m in height unless otherwise directed and must be constructed with a baulk timber base, wooden uprights and close boarded timber
- the fence must be lit from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise and red lights must be fixed at the top of all four corners of the fence
- materials must never be stored on the footway or outside the fenced area, and storage containers, office cabins, portable toilets, caravans and vehicles must not be sited within the fenced area
- building materials must not be placed over gullies or manhole covers, and a reasonable gap between the materials and the kerb edge must be left at all times to allow for the unobstructed drainage of surface water
- every effort should be made to avoid the need for siting operative welfare facilities on the public highway as these will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances
To gain permission for storage of materials, you will need to apply for a temporary structure licence.