Any organisation that intends to do works that involve excavating, placing traffic management, operating a crane or oversail will be required to apply for a licence.

There are four types of licences:

• street works licence
• excavation licence
• crane licence
• oversail licence

Street works or excavation licence

Organisations that intend to:

• excavate the highway to install apparatus
• excavate the highway to implement temporary changes to the structure. For example:
  • a temporary crossover
  • make permanent alterations or improvements to a public highway (S278 works)
• place traffic management on the highway for any reason

Will need to apply for a street works or excavation licence.

Apply for a street works or excavation licence

This process can take up to 12 weeks, so it is best to apply at the earliest opportunity.

Once you have applied, you will be contacted by Street Scene Services to arrange a site meeting to discuss the works, and you will be asked for the following information:

• a map of the location of the works
• the exact size of the excavation - this is for deposit purposes
• a copy of your pedestrian and traffic management plans (if applicable)
• details of any proposed road closure you require (if applicable)
• information about parking restrictions you require (if applicable)
• your invoice information
• opening notice information for entry on to the Street Works Register - this will book the road space

Paying a street works or excavation licence fee and deposit

The licence fee and deposit must be paid before the licence is issued. An invoice will be produced by the Receivables Team so you can pay this, with different ways of paying on the back of the invoice.

The applicant representing the organisation must be the person paying the deposit for refund purposes.

A deposit is required to be held for 2 or 3 years, dependant on the depth of the excavation, to guarantee the integrity of the pubic highway. The deposit is based on the size of the excavation required and the surface type, so this cannot be estimated until after the site meeting has taken place.

Licence fee £620
Street works noticing fee £155
Review of traffic management plans (per plan above 10) £40
Noticing site meeting £75  
Deposit to cover reinstatement cost taken and refunded after guarantee period - Variable (dependent on size of area)
Temporary Traffic Order £2,850
Temporary Traffic Notice £635
Inspection fee £160

Crane or oversail licence

Organisations that intend to:

• complete a crane operation on the public verge, footway, cycleway or carriageway
• oversail the public highway during a crane operation
• place traffic management on the highway in order to complete a crane operation

Will need to apply for a crane or oversail licence.

Apply for a crane or oversail licence

This process can take up to 12 weeks, so it is best to apply at the earliest opportunity.

Once you have applied, you will be contacted by Street Scene Services to arrange a site meeting to discuss the works, and you will be asked for the following information:

• a map of the location of the works, including the area of oversail (if applicable)
• specification of the crane including its maximum operational weight and number of outriggers
• a copy of your pedestrian and traffic management plans (if applicable)
• details of any proposed road closure you require (if applicable)
• information about parking restrictions you require (if applicable)
• your invoice information
• opening notice information for entry on to the Street Works Register - this will book the road space

Paying a crane or oversail licence fee and deposit

The licence fee and deposit must be paid before the licence is issued. An invoice will be produced by the Receivables Team so you can pay this, with different ways of paying on the back of the invoice.

The applicant representing the organisation must be the person paying the deposit for refund purposes.

A deposit is required to be held until after all crane operations are completed to guarantee the integrity of the pubic highway. The deposit is based on the size and weight of the crane, number of outriggers and the area of the oversail area/surface type, so this cannot be estimated until after the site meeting has taken place.

Annual licence fee £620
Inspection fee £160
Notice fee £155

Deposit - Additional refundable amount based on size of area of highway within the confines of scaffold/hoarding; being utilised by materials storage; or crane footprint - Variable (dependent on size of area).