Building materials

If you wish to place building materials on any part of the highway a licence is required from us. A licence is not normally necessary if materials are placed on private land. All materials must be placed on private land whenever possible.

In order to apply for a building materials licence, you must complete an application form (see documents table below).

A licence can be valid for any period between one day and one month. For longer periods, additional applications must be made prior to the expiry of the current licence.

Permission is granted with the issuing of a licence number. The application form will be returned to you with the number, or, it can be obtained by telephone, normally within two working days of receipt of the application.

If it is not possible to avoid using the public highway, materials should be placed in the carriageway, rather than the footway

A single licence allows for the storage of materials, not exceeding three metres in length, 1.5 metres in width and 1.0 metre in height. Please consult this office if larger quantities are involved.

Materials placed in, or partly on, the carriageway require at least four traffic cones on the approach side to guide traffic past the storage area and signed in accordance with Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual Department of Transport.

During the hours of darkness, in poor daytime visibility and bad weather, road danger lamps (flashing amber) must be placed to indicate the area of the site. If sited in the carriageway, a lamp should be placed between each cone.

If our workforce is called out to lamp the site or make it safe, a charge will follow.

Building materials placed on the highway shall not obstruct or interfere with the drainage of the street or with any apparatus of the public utility companies.

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