Skips & scaffolds

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Skips, scaffolds, hoardings, materials and plant

Highway Licence Applications Forms

• apply for a Skip/Container Licence and find out the minimum requirements
• apply for Scaffold Licence and find out the minimum requirements
• apply for Hoarding Licence and find out the minimum requirements
• apply for a Material/Plant Licence 
• apply for Container/Welfare Units Licence and find out the minimum requirements

 

Items placed on the public highway by contractors and householders are overseen by the Highway Enforcement Team.

What we do

The team licenses, monitors and controls scaffolding, skips, hoardings, plant, materials, containers and welfare units placed upon the public highway.

Why we do it

Anything placed on the highway is potentially dangerous. This is reflected in National Legislation (the Highways Act 1980) which the council has a statutory duty to enforce.

Placing items without having the advance permission of the council is against the law and can lead to the removal of items and prosecution.

Where we do it

The Highway Enforcement Team only has jurisdiction over the public highway. It has no authority over private or council property.

What should be done

Contractors and householders who want to put things upon the public highway (including pavements, roads and highway verges) need to have a licence from us first.

All professional companies (scaffolders, skip companies, builders & suppliers of materials) should already know this. However, householders are advised to always make sure that a licence has been obtained before allowing deliveries or works to start.  This is also true of things they have ordered for their own use.

The commonest things that need to be licensed are:

• Hippobags or other skip-bags (covered by a Materials/Plant Licence)
• building materials and plant (both those bought direct from builders’ merchants and materials / items ordered or used by contractors). Note that any sand, soil, gravel or other loose material has to be bagged or contained. Failing to do this can result in the responsible person being billed for clearing any drains affected
• containers and welfare units
• skips
• scaffolds
• hoardings

Checking that a licence is already in place is important, since unlicensed objects can be removed and impounded, sometimes without warning. This can obviously interrupt or delay works.

It can also involve extra expense should the council seek to recover the public money spent removing and storing / disposing of the objects involved.

If you want to check that an item is licensed you can ask your contractor to show you the licence, quote you the licence number and / or check with this office.

How it is done

If you want to take out a licence yourself you will have to make a written application and pay a licence fee. You can get forms and payment details by calling us on (01273) 291701.

We require three working days notice to process a licence. This is to allow for any necessary site visits.

In some cases there are limits on who can or can’t take out a licence. For example only persons with five million pounds of public liability insurance can take out a scaffold, hoarding, skip or container licence. These are normally dealt with by the respective specialist companies or main contactors on large projects.

What are the rules

By law (in case of emergencies) all skips on the highway need to be marked with the name of the skip company and their 24-hour contact number. For safety reasons, each end of the skip facing traffic must be painted yellow and have two areas of reflective markings.

Every scaffold and hoarding on the highway has to display a brightly coloured licence, visible from street level. They also have to be identified with both the name of the contractor and a 24-hour contact number. In addition, all upright poles on the highway should have reflective tape fitted or be painted to aid visibility.  Some, but not all, items will need to have lights.

Hippobags and bags of builders’ materials should bear a sticker (provided with the licence) showing that they are licensed.

Regular visits by the council's licensing officers take place over the city to check that sites are licensed and that licensees are operating under the agreed conditions. 

For further information please call (01273) 291701