Streets and street care

First point of information

Anyone wishing to construct a private vehicle access from the highway into their property must apply to us for permission to do so under the Section 184 Highways Act 1980.

Applications apply to any proposed new dropped kerb, including an extension of an existing dropped kerb, or a property that does not have a kerb outside but still wishes to enter the property from the highway. The license also applies to anyone with an informative on an approved planning permission.

The application is for the license only and not for the works themselves. Applicants are responsible for all costs of the actual construction worked involved.

Work must not commence until written authorisation is issued.

Applications

You can download our Vehicle Crossing Application Form 2023 (PDF) [1MB] (opens new window)  which can also be found in the downloads section.

Please read the guidance notes and highway specification fully as these may answer any questions you have.

Our turnaround for applications is up to 15 weeks unless there is a complication with the application. Please plan accordingly to accommodate this. 

Please see the subject information notice found in the downloads section for information on how we will use the data you supply as part of your application.

Telephone 01225 713352

Email vehicleaccess@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window)

Fees

Our fees are reviewed each year and are non-refundable.

Vehicle Crossing Licence Fee for Standard Applications

For the creation or extension of a vehicle access: £244.58.

For a certificate of lawful use of an access that has been unlawfully created: contact the team for more information.

Vehicle Crossing Licence Fee for Commercial Developments

For the creation of a vehicle access onto a commercial development: £244.58 + £122.29 for each additional access.

Administration Fees

For re-issuing of a licence: £27.32

For a change of contractor on a licence and re-issue: £27.32

For copies of licences or completion certificates following their misplacement: £27.32

Transfer of Application Fees

For changing the applicant to a new applicant on live applications: £36.42

For changing the applicant to a new applicant on granted applications that have not been signed off as completed to highway specification: £36.42

Additional Inspection Fee

For any inspection conducted after 18 months of the licence being issued: £67.50

Frequently asked questions

Can you post an application to me?

As we streamline the service we are moving towards digital applications. If you are unable to access our application form digitally then we can post one to you.

Will I need planning permission to construct an access?

In some cases, planning permission will be required. As part of our application we will make enquiries about planning on your behalf to the council's planning department. 

Can I have the licence without choosing a contractor?

Our license must have a contractor attached as we need to know that they have the correct insurance and liability cover, as well as the correct qualifications to undertake the works.

Do you have a list of Approved contractors?

We do not have a list of Approved contractors, you are able to nominate any contractor as long as they have the relevant StreetWorks accreditation (SWQR for Operatives) as well as Public Liability Insurance for a minimum of £5 Million. 

Street light maintenance

We are responsible for the following street furniture maintained on its behalf by Ringway Infrastructure Services (RIS).

• Street lighting columns
• Illuminated road signs
• Illuminated traffic bollards
• School twin flashing lights
• Zebra crossing flashing amber beacons
• Bus shelter lights (for Passenger information update systems please contact Bus) 

Report a fault with a street light online or contact us directly. 

The majority of electrical cables supplying street lighting are owned by the electricity supply company SSE. If you are a contractor and an electric cable strike occurs, it should be reported directly to SSE Emergency/Cable Strike team on 0800 0727282. You will need to provide full location details such as street and town, or the post code. The damaged cable should not be covered over in anyway, and the responsible contractor should remain on site until SSE attend and make safe, which should be within two hours of reporting the issue.

To find out more about the ongoing LED street lighting project in Wiltshire see our dedicated page.

Fly tipping

• Fly tipping is the illegal dumping of waste and is a criminal offence. Fly tippers can be fined up to £50,000 (this amount is unlimited if convicted in a Crown Court) and even be sent to prison for up to five years
• Report fly tipping

Dog mess

• Dog owners must, by law, pick up any mess made by their pets in public places such as roads, footpaths, school playing fields, sports fields and parks
• Our enforcement officers can issue on-the-spot fixed penalty notices to offenders
• To report dog fouling please email the dog warden at dogs@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window) or report an issue online

Dog mess is classed as litter. We will only attend sites where a number of deposits of dog mess and/or litter are present at one location.

Fly Posting

• Fly posting is an offence and offenders can be fined up to £2500. Any illegal advertising will be removed by the council without notice
• We will take reasonable steps to find the origin of signage and remove where appropriate

Graffiti

• We will take steps to remove or obscure graffiti on any council owned property
• Graffiti is the illegal placing of words or pictures that are drawn, painted, written or carved on walls and other surfaces. Our enforcement officers can issue on-the-spot fixed penalty notices and will report offenders to the police.
• Graffiti will be categorised on whether it is offensive or non-offensive 
• If the graffiti is of an offensive nature then we will look to remove it. if this is not possible, then it will be obscured by either over-painting or via another suitable method within an accelerated timeframe
• If the graffiti is of a non-offensive nature, this can be removed through the Parish steward scheme. The Parish steward tasks are prioritised by the Town or Parish Council and therefore the completion time will be influenced by them
• Where graffiti is on private property it is the responsibility of the owner to remove and is a planning enforcement issue or Amenity Enforcement issue

To report graffiti on utility owned sub stations please contact the utility company:

• Scotia Gas Networks (opens new window) - 0845 070 1431
• Wales & West Utilities (opens new window) - 0870 165 0597
• BT (opens new window) - 0800 023 2023
• Southern Electric (opens new window) - 0800 980 8476

Street litter and public litter bins

Our street cleaning teams pick up litter and empty litter bins on a regular basis.

Town centre bins are checked and emptied daily with smaller areas done weekly or fortnightly.

• A limited number of litter bins will be provided across the county
• Litter bins will be placed in identified high user areas
• Town and parish councils can provide litter bins and collections in their areas
• Dropping litter on private or public land, parks, pavements, roads and rivers, including cigarette butts and chewing gum is an offence and our enforcement officers can issue on-the-spot fixed penalty notices.
• Identified town centres on week days will be at Grade A standard by 8am in accordance with the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse
• We will remove litter where present at an unacceptable level (Code of Practice for Litter and Refuse) when reported
• Litter reports on high speed roads and verges are responded to within the times as set out in the Code of Practice on Litter and refuse. Where response times are subject to overriding due to health and safety and/or traffic management requirement all reports submitted through the My Wiltshire online reporting system for litter picking will be closed on the system once reported. The work will then be scheduled in compliance with legislation.
• We will undertake random proactive inspections of areas and will remove any litter found present that is at an unacceptable standard
• We will work with local businesses and communities to address litter issues
• Code of practice for litter: GOV.UK: Statutory guidance Litter and refuse: code of practice (opens new window)

Street sweeping

We undertake random proactive inspections and remove detritus where present (that is of an unacceptable standard) and work with communities to address the issues.

Please refer to the 'Code of practice for litter' document found at the bottom of this page for further information.

Needles and syringes found on council land

• We will collect needles and syringes left lying on our land
• Please do not touch anything you find, as it could be dangerous
• Please make a note of its location and report it immediately
• Needles and Syringes on the highway or amenity land will be cleared when reported as an emergency response
• We operate a sharps box collection service for people who need regular collection of needles used at home for medical purposes

We do not collect discarded sharps from privately owned land. 

It is the responsibility of the land owner to have them safely disposed of. There are a number of companies who specialise in the collection and disposal of hazardous waste.

Public toilets

• Please refer to our Public toilets pages

Wiltshire council both actively and routinely maintains the following areas to ensure they do not pose any threats:

• Grass cutting
• Hedge maintenance. Privately-owned hedges are the responsibility of the land owner
• Trees.  Trees in conservation areas need permission before work is carried out
• Weeds and spraying operations
• Shrub maintenance

• We remove dead wild animals (such as badgers, foxes, and deer) along with domestic pets (such as cats and dogs) from all roads and public spaces
• If a carcass is obviously a pet, we will try to find the owner (through the pet's collar or microchip) and store the carcass for a period of one week prior to disposal
• We do not collect any animal smaller than a domestic cat. If you find a dead animal of smaller size, you can either deal with it yourself by double bagging the animal and putting it in the domestic waste bin, or leave the animal to decompose naturally
• Animals will be removed within the statutory timescale unless the carcass is hazardous
• If you find more than five dead swans, wild gulls, waders or ducks, please contact the DEFRA (opens new window) Helpline on 08459 33 55 77, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. You will be asked for details of the birds and the location
• We do not remove farm animals (such as cows, sheep or pigs), and you should report any dead farm animals to the owner. We do not collect dead animals from private property
• We use a specialised team to remove dead animals and, unless a road is being blocked, the dead animal may be left in place until our next scheduled visit to the area

We are pleased to support local communities in the setting up of their own sweeping and litter collection initiatives. This would include training litter champions in carrying out risk assessments together with how to organise litter events and the provision of equipment packages (signs, cones, bags etc).

For one-off events, we can loan out litter collection equipment through areaboards@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

With all events on council owned land, we will arrange the collection of any waste collected if required.

Organising a community litter picking event

• One person should take overall responsibility
• Decide on a suitable day, we suggest around two hours
• Chose a location and contact the land owner. For council land please call 0300 456 0100 and ask for the corporate events coordinator
• Register the event with the council
• Publicise the event locally by contacting your local community coordinator on communications@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window)
• Obtain the correct equipment
• Obtain insurance. Ask your parish council if they have public liability insurance, if you are unable to obtain public liability insurance, please contact the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (opens new window) 
• Agree a location to arrange council collection of litter and waste before the event
• Send some pictures and a report of those involved with a note of thanks to communications@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window) for a council publication after you event has taken place

Litter action (opens new window) and Keep Britain Tidy: The Big Tidy Up - Litter Heroes (opens new window) offer a lot of information on organising community events and campaigns.

Banners, hanging baskets, festive and Christmas lighting can add greatly to the appearance of towns and villages, especially during Christmas and special events, and are encouraged as they can play an important role in community life. If you are intending to use street lighting columns, make connections to them, or place decorations across the road, you will need to get permission.

Guidance notes and the relevant forms are available below.