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Highways Licences Fees and Charges 2024/2025 consultation

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This consultation has now closed.

Have your say on our proposed changes to Highways Licences Fees and Charges.


Background

We initially consulted on our new Fees and Charges for 2024/25 in September 2023. After careful consideration of the consultation findings, and other supporting documents, the new Fees and Charges for 2024/25 were agreed at a Council meeting on 17 October 2023.

However, we are now extending a specific part of this consultation and seeking your views on some changes we are proposing on how we plan to charge for Highways Licences going forward.

A Highways Licence is required whenever building works use or infringe

Have your say on our proposed changes to Highways Licences Fees and Charges.


Background

We initially consulted on our new Fees and Charges for 2024/25 in September 2023. After careful consideration of the consultation findings, and other supporting documents, the new Fees and Charges for 2024/25 were agreed at a Council meeting on 17 October 2023.

However, we are now extending a specific part of this consultation and seeking your views on some changes we are proposing on how we plan to charge for Highways Licences going forward.

A Highways Licence is required whenever building works use or infringe upon the public highway or footway. For example:

  • buildings with scaffold on the footpath
  • cranes working on or over the public highway
  • site hoarding that is erected within 1 metre of the footway
  • building materials being stored on the highway
  • HGV vehicles crossing the footway to enter a site.


What we are proposing

Currently, Highways charge for ‘each’ licence issued which can last up to 6-months. However, we are proposing to change the unit of measure so that licences are charged for ‘each month’ the works are in place.

This proposed change will apply to the following Highways Fees and Charges:

  • HW 3 Highways – Licence to erect or retain on or over a highway any scaffolding or other structure
  • HW 4 Highways – Licence to erect a hoarding or fence and site inspection to monitor compliance
  • HW 5 Highways – Licence to construct works, cellars, cranes, portacabins, temporary crossovers, vaults or pavement lights under or on a street
  • HW 6 Highways – Licence to temporarily deposit materials in a street or to make an excavation in it and the undertaking of site inspections to monitor compliance

The reasons why we are proposing this change is to:

  • encourage developers to clear footways and carriageways of hoarding, scaffolding, etc as soon as it is no longer required. This will enable the footway or carriageway to be reopened to the public quicker
  • avoid unnecessary cost to developers by charging them for the duration they need a Highways Licence rather than in 6-monthly blocks
  • bring us in line with how surrounding boroughs charge for Highways Licences.

For further information please read the existing Highways Fees and Charges 2024 and the Proposed new fees and charges – HW3-HW6


Your views are important to us

We are keen to give existing and prospective licence holders, residents, businesses, and other interested stakeholders, the opportunity to have their say on our proposed change.

Please take the time to read the full proposed fees and charges schedule before completing our short questionnaire below.


How to have your say:

Complete our online questionnaire

If you would like to request a paper questionnaire or another format, please:


What happens after the consultation closes?

The findings from the consultation will be reported to and considered by Full Council on 9 July 2024 before final approval. If approved, the new fees will come into force from 1 August 2024.

This consultation has now closed.

  • We asked, you said, we did

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    We asked

    We asked for your views on our proposals to changes in how we charge for Highways Licences.

    The council charges for ‘each’ highway licence issued which can last up to 6 months. We proposed to change the unit of measure so that licences are charged for ‘each month’ the works are in place.

    You said

    We received eight responses to our questionnaire:

    • 75% of respondents agreed that developers should be encouraged to clear the footway / carriageway of works as soon as possible
    • 66.67% of respondents agreed that developers should only pay for a Highways Licence for the period it is required
    • 55.56% respondents agreed that charges should fairly reflect the cost of administering the licence
    • 87.5% respondents disagreed that we should change the way we charge for Highways Licences. Every objection to our proposal was received from a contractor who has worked in Barnet in the last 12 months.

    We did

    We took all feedback into consideration prior to taking our final recommendations to the Council meeting on Tuesday 9 July 2024(External link). Special consideration was given to:

    • the impact the proposed changes will have on contractors working in the borough
    • the need to clear the footways and carriageways of works as soon as possible
    • the cost of administrating Highways Licences to the council.

    Following approval at the Council meeting, we will implement the proposed changes to the charges for Highways Licences HW3, HW4, HW5 and HW6, with effect from 1 August 2024.

    You can read more information in the full consultation report(External link).