Building materials on the highway licence

Please tell us what you think about our website, we welcome your feedback.

About this service

A licence is required for placing building materials on any part of a highway. Any such materials must be kept in private if possible in which case a license is not required. Licences are only issued in exceptional circumstances for any duration up to a month.The applicant can extend this before the granted license expires.

Objects which project over the highway may require a licence. In addition, scaffolding and skips require a licence for their placement on the public highway (including the footpath) to ensure that these operations are properly planned and carried out according to the law.

The licence sets out the standards on such matters as lighting, signing, guarding, protection and maintenance of public passage and any other issues that are site specific. Consideration is given on an individual basis to each application, and site specific conditions may be included to ensure safety.

There is an increasing demand on highway authorities to allow tables and chairs on the highway outside restaurants and cafes, especially in pedestrianised areas.

In some cases this can be part of a 'Street Scene' project or other urban improvement scheme.

Licences may be granted subject to the approval of the Highway Authority. Provided that a free and safe passage for pedestrians can be maintained then such an arrangement may be beneficial, but each case will be considered on its merits and site specific conditions may be included to ensure safety.

Whenever an encroachment is suspected on the public highway, we carry out a status check to determine the exact limits of the highway, and to establish whether an encroachment has occurred.

Last updated: 30 October 2012